The Young Order
by Crystyna
Summary: Characters are Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and two OC's named Treasure and Laurel, and that slime Peter Pettigrew. What were some select members of the Order of The Phoenix like when they were younger? COMPLETE.
1. Lily and Treasure

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing that you recognize from the book series. I'm on an editing kick again…

* * *

Lily Evans and Treasure Belle had been best friends since they had first met on their very first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In fact, they had been best friends since the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express. Lily was from a Muggle family and did not even know that witchcraft existed until she got her letter; Treasure was an American girl from a first generation Pureblood family (her parents were both Muggle-born), who was accepted as one of four magically talented youths from around the world selected each year to be an exchange student at Hogwarts.

Both girls found themselves in a strange yet exciting new world, and they were both eager to explore; neither knew what to expect. As the Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop and the first years were herded onto small boats to cross the lake, Lily and Treasure grasped hands and stared up through the rain and the lake water that was soaking them to the bone, at the castle of Hogwarts where they would be living for the next school year.

* * *

Lily,

As much as I love it here in America, I think my real home will be with you and the Gryffindor house in Hogwarts! Just thirteen more days until we're back on the train…I can barely wait!

Enclosed in this letter is your birthday present, but it's kind of a present for me as well. It's a necklace that I bought from a Muggle shop somewhere in Manhattan…but I put a charm on it so when you open it and say the password, mine will warm up so I'll know you want to talk. Then you can see me in the tiny place where you are supposed to put the picture in the locket.

Love Always,

Treasure

P.S. How thick do you think I am, of course I didn't forget the password. It's "Lily loves James," because you know you do!

P.P.S. Congratulations on becoming a Prefect! I told you it would be you!

Lily rolled her eyes at her best friend's letter. As thoughtful as it was for Treasure to send such a useful gift, the password business was childish. Besides, Lily despised James Potter with every ounce of magic in her body. She quickly grabbed a quill and began to pen her reply, ignoring how Treasure's white dove, Snow, stared at her mockingly.

When she was done, Lily closed her ink bottle and placed it with her quill on her night table. Humming quietly she folded up the parchment and put it in an envelope. The envelope said in loopy, shimmering handwriting:

_Treasure Belle_

The writing shimmered with the colors of a prism as different forms of light hit it. It was the last of Treasure's Christmas gifts to Lily last year - a fine set of inks and letterhead. Some of the inks came in various different colors, or else changed scents at a written word. Some of the inks were invisible, and Lily had managed to charm them so that they would scramble the words on a piece of parchment until none but the receiver's wand tapped the page. She had also charmed all the envelopes so they were unable to be opened by anyone but the intended recipient - in this case, Treasure. Professor Flitwick, the tiny black haired wizard who taught Charms, was most impressed with the Lily's handiwork, as it had taken him a full ten minutes to decipher one such note. He was not so impressed that he refrained from reading it aloud, however, but he didn't dock Gryffindor any House Points all the same.

Snow flew onto Lily's shoulder and held out her leg for Lily to fasten the envelope. Lily smiled at the bird, who was no ordinary pigeon. Snow had whiter than white feathers, but they shimmered silver in the moonlight. Her eyes were deep ocean blue, her beak was pale gold as were her talons. Snow cooed softly, a sound that was like a soft burble of pebbles on the bottom of a gently running river. Lily released the bird into the night air, watching as she flew out of sight. Lily pulled her soft silk drapes over the window, leaving it open and turned to go to bed.

* * *

Days later, Treasure sat by her desk doing her summer homework. There were only four days left before she was due to fly to London, and was very excited because it would be her first time on a magic carpet. Unfortunately, Treasure reflected, it would also probably be her last time on a magic carpet - the Ministry of Magic intended to ban them, as it was becoming more difficult than ever to keep them unseen by Muggle eyes. She had made arrangements with Lily to stay with her and her family for three days before boarding the Hogwarts Express and beginning her fifth year at Hogwarts.

Treasure rubbed her temples wearily, she had done nearly all of her homework except for Potions and Transfiguration, incidentally her two most challenging subjects. Sighing, she tossed back her long dark hair and picked up her quill. _My fingers will be permanently stained with this stupid ink from this stupid quill because of this stupid homework,_ she thought angrily, but began to scratch away at the first of three essays she had yet to do.

Suddenly she heard a soft fluttering of wings and saw Snow flying through her window with an envelope attached to her leg. "Snow!" Treasure said happily, holding out her hand for the bird to land on, her homework quite forgotten for the moment. Treasure patted the dove's head and unfastened the letter, setting Snow on her perch and scattering birdseed before hastily opening the letter. It was from Lily.

Treasure you twit,

How many times must I explain to you that I HATE James Potter with a passion? Although your gift was thoughtful and useful, the entire sentiment is ruined because of your ridiculous "password." When I find a charm to change it, believe me I will. I cant wait until we get back to Hogwarts so I can thrash you the way you deserve to be thrashed, because you are nearly as arrogant as James is!

Either way, I miss you greatly, you horrid witch - why must you live quite so far away? It takes your dove such a long time to travel from London to America! And it takes days for her to recover as well. Well, I suppose it cant be helped, I'll be seeing you in…twelve days now, as it is two o' clock in the morning here. Petunia will kill me if I wake her up with the scratching of the quill.

Alright dear, I need some sleep. Sweet dreams, love, see you soon and thanks again for the gift.

Hugs and kisses,

Lily

P.S. I hate James Potter

P.P.S. If you did not skive off class quite so much (probably to go gallivanting with Sirius, who is nearly as insufferable as Potter) you would have been made a Prefect instead of me.

Treasure laughed as she read the letter over again, grateful for a distraction. She picked up her locket that lay on her desk and opened it, saying softly into its antique gold heart, "Lily loves James," and trying not to laugh. She waited a moment and then Lily's face appeared like a tiny picture in the locket.

"Hey, Lils." Treasure grinned.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You are a insufferable, Treasure. What a moronic password," she said.

"Oh if it bothers you so much, I'll just change it. You are such a baby, Lily," Treasure retorted, mock-angry.

"I'm a baby? I'm not the one who came up with a completely childish password for this stupid locket! Couldn't you just say my name when you want to talk to me, and I just say your name when I want to talk to you?" Lily asked.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Fun is not the point! THE POINT IS I DESPISE JAMES POTTER AND EVERY TIME I WANT TO TALK TO YOU WITH THIS BLASTED THING, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE HIM!" Lily yelled.

Treasure raised an eyebrow. "Are you quite sure you're not overworking yourself, Lils? You seem a bit tense…"

Lily started to laugh. "Before I met you, Treasure, I was never this tense," she said.

Treasure sighed, "You love me anyway, Lily, you know you do, just like you--"

"Don't even say it, Treasure, don't--"

"Just like you love, Ja--"

"I'm warning you - I'll send you a hex with my next Owl."

"I'm willing to risk it!"

"Say it and I swear I'll make your life at Hogwarts a living hell!"

"Just like you love JAMES!" Treasure yelled.

Lily was fuming. She nearly closed the locket on Treasure, who, upon seeing this decided to change tactics.

"Oh, come off it Lily, he isn't so bad…And he's mad for you…Maybe if you just get to know him…" Treasure suggested gently. Lily pursed her lips, as if the idea of 'getting to know' James Potter gave her the sensation not unlike sucking a lemon.

"You know when you do that, you resemble Professor McGonagall," Treasure teased.

Lily let out a breath and said slowly, "Although I wont deny that James is a bit good looking and at times quite a laugh, I don't like him and I _definitely _don't love him. He is an arrogant, big-headed--"

"Pompous, self-centered arse of a human being, I know Lily you've said it more times than I can count," Treasure finally admitted. It was quite a shame, actually. Treasure had no problem at all with James; in fact, she thought he was quite likeable despite his tendency for arrogance. And the fact that he was absolutely in love with Lily despite his popularity and her obvious disdain for him made Treasure like him even more.

"And I don't know why it fascinates you to keep badgering me about this, Treasure. I've said it time and time again, that I will never go on a date with James Potter! I'd sooner make a meal of seven fully-grown skrewts before I even consider dating him!" Lily ranted.

"Never say never, Lils. And don't make a vow you might one day have to break -" Treasure, glancing at her open copy of _Crystal Gazing for the Clairvoyant_, attempted to imitate the mannerisms of their Divination teacher, Professor D'yani. The effect was somewhat ruined by her uncontrollable sniggering at the furious look on Lily's face. It was even funnier as Lily's face was roughly the size of a grape due to the locket.

"I'll make an Unbreakable Vow that I wont ever date James Potter, Tres! Don't you think I wont!"

"If you say so…"

"Oh, do shut up, Treasure. Look, I have to go, Petunia thinks I'm mad because I'm talking to a locket…" Lily said distractedly, looking over her shoulder to where Petunia was standing in her doorway, looking perturbed and angry. Lily sighed.

"So? Tell Petunia to take her lipstick out of her ass because it doesn't go there, and that lump she calls her boyfriend is too thick to notice it anyway," Treasure said. Lily laughed but quickly covered it up by coughing.

"She heard that, dear."

"HELLO PETUNIA, DARLING!" Treasure shouted, and Lily laughed again.

"Goodbye, Treasure, I'll see you in four days. Be good, for God's sake…" Lily said, closing the locket. Four days would never come fast enough.


	2. On The Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"Lily!" Treasure shouted, causing many people to turn around and stare at her. Well, of course they would - in an attempt to make her trip by magic carpet as authentic as possible, Treasure had dressed herself in numerous scarves, lined her eyes with dark black kohl, and had even gone so far as to steal her mother's bangle bracelets from her jewelry box. Everyone else was either in their plain robes for everyday, or business attire. Treasure almost looked as out of place as she would on a Muggle street. She ignored the odd and exasperated looks, however, and pushed back her hair impatiently. Grabbing her black book bag she hurried over to her red-haired best friend, and grinned at a bewildered looking bellboy to follow with her trunk and Snow's birdcage. Those had been sent mere minutes ago by Floo powder.

"Oh, Treasure I missed you so much!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around Treasure. Then, holding her friend at arms length, Lily asked, "What are you wearing?"

Treasure grinned. "It was my first magic carpet ride. I wanted the full experience," she explained. She smirked when she saw Petunia hanging back behind Mr. and Mrs. Evans, a look of disbelief on her face and disgust curling her lip.

"Pleased to see you again, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans," Treasure said, holding out her hand to shake. Mr. Evans was tall and a bit thin, with a shock of red hair and bright blue eyes. "It's good to see you too, young lady. I hope you've been staying out of trouble?" he said, shaking her hand.

"On my honor, sir!" Treasure said, saluting. She grinned at the amused look with which he appraised her apparel and turned to smile at Mrs. Evans.

"Oh, hello dear I'm so glad to see you've arrived all right! I hope you'll enjoy staying with us," the petite blonde woman said, taking Treasure's hand. Treasure certainly saw where Lily got her eyes from: Mrs. Evans had deep green eyes.

"Oh, Mrs. Evans, I'm sure I'll love staying with you. Thank you so much!" Treasure said happily. Looking behind Mr. Evans she could see Petunia, Lily's twin, who was glaring at her with much dislike. Treasure felt a smirk tug at her lips. "Hello, Petunia!" she said brightly. "Do you have any idea how _happy _I am to see you again? Lily's told me quite a lot about you, you know. I hear you've got a boyfriend, now?" Treasure said, and Lily bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Lily's sister was one hundred percent Muggle, and unreasonably terrified of any bit of magic Lily so much as spoke about. In all probability, Petunia thought that Treasure was extending a magical threat towards her boyfriend. The blond girl bristled angrily and turned her nose up in the air, not gracing Treasure with an answer.

Petunia was tall and thin, like her father. She had dirty blonde hair that she kept back in a perfect ponytail, blue eyes also like her father, and quite a long neck which might have been elegant had she not been holding herself so tensely. If she hadn't been scowling so intently, she might have been pretty but Treasure doubted whether Petunia even had another facial expression in reserve. While Mr. And Mrs. Evans were smiling at their red-haired daughter proudly, Petunia looked positively furious.

"Oh, let her alone, Treasure," Lily whispered, as her parents and Petunia turned to walk out of the port. Treasure linked arms with her best friend, too content to start pushing Petunia's buttons right away.

* * *

"And what was that you wrote about me, how did you so eloquently put it, _gallivanting_ with Sirius?" Treasure snorted in a very un-ladylike way.

"Oh, don't tell me you are off by yourself all the times you decide not to go to class," Lily said. They were in Lily's room after having just finished cleaning the table after dinner. Lily was helping Treasure finish up her Transfiguration essay.

Treasure rolled her eyes. "Well, actually, I was," she said indignantly.

"Oh really?" Lily asked suspiciously. "Then what ever did you do?"

"Sometimes I went up to the Common Room and read, or slept. Most times I went ot the forest. Sometimes I just walked about the castle trying to find secret exits and such, or to give the Caretaker a heart attack…and sometimes I went into Hogsmeade and bought candy. Didn't you even wonder why I never ran out of Every Flavor Beans, or Chocolate Frogs?" Treasure answered, scribbling down another sentence.

"I don't know why you skived off, classes aren't bad at all," Lily said thoughtfully.

"I didn't cut out that much…only once or twice a month," she said. Lily raised an eyebrow. "What! It's true. And it was only Potions!" Treasure said defensively. Lily chuckled.

"Treasure, Potions is your worst class. Maybe the reason that it's your worst class is because you barely show up."

"Maybe its because Professor Slughorn is a bloody b--" Treasure started to say, but the door opened and in the doorway stood Mrs. Evans. "--ad teacher," Treasure finished lamely.

Mrs. Evans smiled, "Time for bed, dears, even though you can sleep late tomorrow but you must keep up your health! You'll be going back to school in two days, you don't want to look haggard do you?"

"No," the girls chorused.

Mrs. Evans smiled and flicked out the light. "Good night girls," she said. Lily listened to make sure her mother had gone downstairs, then turned to Treasure.

"I'm not part of the Slug Club, remember, Lils?" Treasure said. Lily shrugged. As Professor Slughorn's favorite student, Lily couldn't possibly see the problem Treasure had with him. She, Lily, quite enjoyed Potions and even the little dinner parties that Professor Slughorn held for all of the more gifted Potions students. She didn't seem to catch on that the parties weren't so much for the more talented students as they were for the more well-connected students - and Lily was the only Muggle-born invited. It was a sort of favoritism that Treasure didn't care for one bit, and Slughorn's rather ingratiating attitude toward the members of the Slug Club rather sickened her.

"Perhaps if you didn't decide that you'd rather attempt to make up your _own_ potions from scratch, you would have more success," Lily teased.

"Perhaps if you didn't spend all your time going over the notable attributes of lacewing flies and bezoars with _Snivellus_, I wouldn't have to amuse myself by creating my own potions!" Treasure retorted.

"Don't call him that! You sound like Potter!" Lily said testily. Treasure bit her lip to keep from snapping back that James Potter was a great sight better company than Severus Snape, with his sick fascination with the Dark Arts. She didn't want to start a fight with Lily, especially not before school started again. And even more than that, she didn't want Lily to know that she was jealous and worried that Snape might be closer to her than she, Treasure, was. _Ridiculous_, Treasure thought to herself.

"So are you sure that's _all_ you did? You were _always_ by yourself?" Lily asked tentatively, trying to ease the rather awkward silence. Treasure squirmed uncomfortably. "What?" Lily asked.

"Well, once I dueled with that absolute _cow_, Bellatrix Black. Snooty little wretch - she was cutting class too and going on about how you were a…you know. About how your parents are Muggles. It was because you sent those fire salamanders up her robes in Care of Magical Creatures, remember?"

was an accident!" Lily said defensively. Treasure rolled her eyes.So I hexed her. Nearly took her nose off too," Treasure continued proudly. 

Lily gasped. "Oh you shouldn't have, Treasure! You could have gotten into so much trouble!" she said.

Treasure shrugged, "So I would've gotten detention and maybe lost some points for Gryffindor. But little Bella would have been in more trouble for carting around _all _the answers to the Transfiguration test that McGonagall was threatening us with…If McGonagall found out, I'm sure she would have let Og string her up by her ankles in the Great Hall." Og was the caretaker of Hogwarts Castle. He was pretty much magically inept - he wasn't exactly a Squib, but a relatively talented third year could have easily held her own against the man in a duel. What Og lacked in talent, however, he made up in sour temperament. He was known for pushing the boundaries when it came to student punishments for breaking the rules and anyone who crossed him once wasn't eager to do so again.

Lily laughed. "So whatever became of those answers, anyway?"

"Took 'em, memorized 'em, and burned 'em," Treasure said promptly.

Lily threw a pillow at her best friend and rolled over to go to sleep. She wasn't really expecting anything different.

* * *

The next two days passed surprisingly quickly, and soon Lily and Treasure were waving good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Evans, Petunia glaring nastily at them as they boarded the train. Treasure blew Petunia a kiss just to see the look of complete disgust on Lily's sister. Lily laughed. "You really ought to stop teasing her," she said, and darted off to the Prefects' cabin for a few moments as was required.

Treasure sighed happily, sitting down in the empty car that they had all to themselves and waiting for Lily's return. "I am so happy to be back here," she said when her redheaded friend entered, looking irritated. Treasure took out her wand. "I finally get to use this baby again…I was wandsick all summer," she said, flicking her wand and grinning when Gryffindor red and gold sparks shot out of it.

"But I thought you were allowed to practice magic in America?" Lily took out her wand as well and waved it, making multicolored bubbles bloom from the tip. They decided to brush up on old spells to pass the time on the train. Treasure explained that in America, underage witches and wizards are allowed to do magic during the holidays, provided that an adult was in the room. Break the law, and there were serious consequences. Treasure wouldn't be considered of age until she turned eighteen.

"And my parents were never home," she griped, disgruntled. "They always had some gala or another to go to." Treasure's father was an architect, and he specialized in creating design schemes for buildings that could coexist with the Muggle world. It was a flourishing field, and the Belles were reaping the benefits - which is why Treasure was often left to amuse herself alone. Since all her friends were across the ocean, there wasn't much for Treasure to do in Muggle Manhattan. Lily patted her friend's hand gently, and the two resumed their wand waving in silence.

"Oh, how quaint," a cold voice drawled from behind them. Treasure turned around and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want, Bellatrix?" she demanded coldly. The waiflike brunette grinned maliciously. It seemed that she had waited eagerly all summer to pick a fight with the Gryffindors again.

"Just wanted to see what an American moron and a Mudblood would be doing to pass the time. And I still owe you for that duel in the hallway, Belle," she said sourly.

"Watch your mouth. And - I'm sorry - you called that a duel? Because I thought it was me jinxing you until you slipped away like the cowardly snake you are, Black!" Treasure snapped.

Bellatrix's face paled angrily for a moment, but then she grinned. "I think its you who had better watch your mouth, after all you are talking to a _Prefect_," she said, pointing her wand at Treasure.

"Everyone knows you pure-bloods marry your cousins…with all that inbreeding, I suppose there's bound to be a day when _you're _the best option Slytherin's got for prefect."

"Shut up!" Bellatrix spat angrily. "My blood is purer than yours could ever hope to be!"

"I don't _hope_ for pure blood at all! Only fools believe that a witch's blood makes the slightest difference!" Treasure snapped back.

"Oh, is this a fight?" a third voice said. It belonged to Sirius Black, who had sauntered in with James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. "We haven't even reach the castle yet and already you're causing trouble, Belle?" he continued. He sounded impressed. His lip curled when he saw his cousin, however, and his demeanor suddenly became icy.

"Oh great, now our car is full of four more idiots," Lily muttered.

Treasure laughed. "Oh, come on, Remus is not an idiot," she said, catching Lily's eye, and nodding her head in James's general direction. Lily scowled at her.

"Whoa, calm down Evans," James said.

Lily glared at him, "What do _you _want?" she asked. She had seen him secretly set fire to a first year's trunk, only to put out the bright blue flames moments later to the awe of the terrified first years. Lily thought scathingly that James probably fancied himself their hero now. James shrugged, ruffling his hair, and Lily's eyes narrowed even further.

"Nothing. But you're scowling hard enough to make one of the Valkyrie curl up in fright," he replied with a cheeky grin. Lily said nothing, but her right hand twitched toward her wand as if she was just itching to hex him. Sirius was looking between the two of them with a grin. He caught Treasure's eye, and she grinned back.

"Hey, Moony, who do you reckon would win this little duel?" Sirius said, as Treasure still had her one hand on her hip and her wand pointed towards Eva.

"Don't start, Sirius," Treasure warned.

"I think it would be Treasure here, she's got a lot of fire," Sirius continued in his infuriating drawl. He looked a Treasure in a way that made her face heat, which had never happened before. Practically since their Sorting, Treasure Belle and Sirius Black had had it in for each other, each one constantly trying to top the other when it came to practical jokes and trouble-making. Now, Treasure reflected, Sirius had changed a bit over one summer. He was always rather good-looking, but now he towered at least a head taller than her, and Treasure was no pixie. His hair was a bit longer than it had been last year, and his gray eyes twinkled mischievously but not without a certain amount of infuriating charm.

Treasure shook herself out of her thoughts and glared at him, embarrassed. "Yeah, I'll deal with her and then turn my wand on you," she said, but her lips twitched upwards in an unmistakable smile. Apparently she had decided that she liked the new attention he was paying her and didn't care if Sirius knew it.

"There wont be a bloody duel, because we are nearly at Hogwarts--" Lily said firmly.

"And little Bella here wouldn't fit in a teaspoon if there was one," Treasure said, glaring at the Slytherin.

Sirius barked a laugh.

"What are you fighting about anyway?" Remus asked mildly. Treasure lowered her wand and turned toward Remus.

"This cow came in here just to call Lily a --" she began saying but was knocked in the back with a spell that just glanced off her, but made her right arm seize up in pain as if were being burned. "Ow!" she yelled and turned around to see Eva leaving.

"Hey!" Sirius and James yelled, brandishing their wands.

"Oh, let her get away, stupid cow," Treasure said, getting up and rubbing her arm where she landed on it. She pulled her robes up and saw her skin turning into an angry plain of mottled red blisters. She bit her lip and prodded one with the tip of her wand, and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, swearing under her breath at the pain.

Lily was shaking with anger. "That little…I'll get her, I really will," she fumed.

"Oh, calm down Lils, I'm fine. No harm done, really - just pull me some dittany out of your bag? Thanks. We're here anyway," Treasure said, angry that she'd let Bellatrix get the better of her and eager to change the subject..

"Yeah, Evans, don't worry about it," James said, ruffling his messy hair with another sly grin.

Lily glared at him again. "Don't talk to me, Potter, your were no help," she said, walking past him with an arm around Treasure.

"What is wrong with her?" James asked, and Sirius shrugged. His eyes were on Treasure as they walked away.


	3. The Strong and Silent Type

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

Lily and Treasure walked up to one of the carriages that they knew would be waiting as usual for the students above their first year. Lily was quiet, walking with her arm linked in Treasure's and contemplating the giant castle before them. The skies thundered above and the air was heavy with the threat of rain, but as of yet not a drop had fallen. The girls made their way into the carriage just as the rain began to fall. Lily remained quiet, thinking about the exchange that Treasure and Sirius had back on the Hogwarts Express - and the unspoken exchange that she was uncertain the two of them even realized. There was something very obviously different about the two of them this year, especially in the way that Sirius looked at Treasure. Lily wasn't quiet certain she liked it very much - she knew that perhaps the reason Treasure was so intent on causing trouble was because of the attention it seemed to gain her from a certain Mr. Black. While it never had bothered her before, it was their fifth year and this time, they had O.W.L.s to prepare for. Treasure didn't have the luxury of fooling around this year.

"Lily, there is a curtain over the window. Unless you can see through solid fabric, all you are going to see is moldy, moth eaten wool," Treasure said gently. Lily turned around and reached out to touch Treasure's shoulder.

"Are you sure your arm is okay? You fell on it pretty hard," she said worriedly.

Treasure smiled, "I'm fine, Lils, don't worry so much," she said. Lily pondered this for a moment.

"It amazes me that you and Sirius are not going out," Lily said, deciding that perhaps it would be better to broach the subject quickly rather than beat around the bush. With the look of surprise on Treasure's face, followed swiftly by embarrassment, Lily thought that perhaps beating around the Whomping Willow would have been safer than bringing up Sirius Black.

"You are so alike. You're both reckless and arrogant - well, sometimes you are Treasure," Lily continued apologetically, seeing the indignant look on her friend's face.

"Where in Merlin's name did _that_ come from, _Lillian_?"

"That is not my name," Lily said tartly.

"And if you can't stand James or Sirius and them, how can you stand being around me?" Treasure retorted, ignoring her friend. Lily started to laugh. "You really are something you know that?" she teased. Before Treasure could say anything else, the carriages rolled to a stop and the two girls hopped out. Lily was relieved for the interruption.

"Oh, we're here! I am _famished_," Treasure muttered. Suddenly Lily let out a small shriek and Treasure spun around to see what had happened.

"Oh, gross!" Lily said angrily, wiping mud off of half her face. Treasure looked passed Lily to see James standing, looking more shocked than slightly amused while Sirius and Peter were laughing. Remus smiled slightly as well. Treasure glowered at them.

"Potter, what the hell is wrong with you?" she snarled, taking out a handkerchief she had left in her pocket and handing it to Lily. James looked sheepishly at the ground. Treasure grabbed Lily's hand and walked over to James.

"Potter, you toad, apologize to her right now!" Treasure demanded and James looked caught like a deer in headlights.

"You heard her, Prongs, apologize," Sirius sneered, clearly warning James that if he did it, Sirius would never let him live it down.

"And you shut up," Treasure said, taking out her wand and muttering a Silencing Charm. Sirius opened his mouth and was completely silent. Not a word escaped from his mouth, he gave Treasure the dirtiest look and mouthed,

Treasure smirked and mouthed back _Make me._ Lily burst out laughing, seeming to have forgotten the mud in her hair and on her face. Peter looked shocked; Remus chuckled. He clapped Sirius on the back and said, "Well, you do deserve it, mate."

She turned to James. "You didn't say sorry yet," she said innocently, the look spoiled by the way she poked James in the shoulder with her wand.

"Hey, watch it, Belle - I wont be able to if you Silence me. Or gut me, for that matter," James said, laughing at Sirius who was clearly not made to be a mime. Sirius made a very rude hand gesture in reply.

"Say it, James," she said as they were herded into the Great Hall. James turned to Lily,

"I'm really sorry, Evans," he said. Treasure clucked her tongue. "Use her _name_ for once, damn it," she barked. James rolled his eyes, "Yes, Professor," he muttered, but said, "I'm really sorry, _Lily_."

"That's better," Treasure said, and waved her hand at James as if to shoo him away. Lily laughed again, but glared at James. Treasure took her best friend by the arm and sat down, looking eagerly at the gold plates.

"He really was sorry, you know," she said quietly.

"I'm really not interested."

"Aww, it's okay Lils, he bruised your ego, I understand."

"Ha, not as badly as you shattered Sirius's ego," Lily quipped.

"All in a day's work," Treasure said smugly. Lily rolled her eyes. _I'll bet_, she thought to herself, but she wasn't willing to point out the obvious, albeit atypical, flirtation that seemed to abound whenever Sirius and Treasure were within a few feet of each other.

Treasure jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and saw Sirius glaring down on her. Her eyes sparkled up at him and Lily bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smirking.

Sirius mouthed. 

Treasure grinned, "Well of course you heard that, I didn't hex you to make you deaf, now did I?" she asked. His hand gesture returned. James, Remus, and Peter were watching with interest, although Peter seemed to be trying to glare Treasure into lifting the hex from his friend. Lily found this rather amusing at the moment - Treasure and Sirius had always teased one another, from the very day that they met on the Hogwarts Express in their first year. Now, however, Treasure was making it quite obvious, batting her lashes up at him playfully and favoring him with her most innocent look - the look only a true fool would ever take as genuine guilelessness.

"Oh, ouch, Sirius that really hurt my feelings," Treasure taunted as he continued to mouth off, albeit silently, at her.

Sirius mouthed angrily, sitting down next to her and leaning in closely. Treasure seemed unflappable, very much enjoying his position at her mercy. Lily saw some of the other Gryffindor girls sending glares Treasure's way, but either she seemed not to notice or was very good at ignoring them. Sirius really was quite handsome, but that fact was one that Treasure also happened to be overlooking. From the twinkle in her light eyes, however, Lily knew that Sirius's good looks hadn't escaped Treasure completely. 

"Hmm…let me think, uh...no?" Treasure said, smiling.

Had he had a voice, he would have been whining. 

"Aww, does ickle Sirius want to talk?" Treasure cooed. Sirius glared. "Well, does he?" she asked, sticking out her lower lip. He reluctantly nodded. Lily found this to be a bit much and said, "Treasure, you worry me sometimes. You like to torture people too much. Maybe you should have been in Slytherin…"

That certainly got the dark-haired witch's attention; she turned around so quickly she nearly fell off the chair, "_That_ is not funny," she said. Lily shrugged and waved at Severus Snape from across the Great Hall. Treasure's deep scowl was nothing compared to James's, but Lily ignored both.

Sirius clapped his hands to get Treasure's attention.

"You know, when you're quiet you are the tall, dark, and handsome, strong and silent type. Its very appealing. But when you talk, it doesn't quite work," she informed him. "Something about you always talking out of your rear end, Sirius. Not as endearing as you might think."

Sirius's non-existent tone was full of warning. Lily knew that her best friend wouldn't be able to get away from this unscathed. She only hoped that they didn't continue on like this all year; it would be quite tiresome, and they had a lot to do this year without the explosions in the Gryffindor Common Room that would surely occur if Sirius and Treasure didn't find some other way to flirt and satisfy their obvious attraction besides hexing each other. Lily glanced over at James, who was taking a swig of his pumpkin juice, and flicked her wand under the table. James jumped as the magic from her wand hit him on the knee, causing him to slosh the juice all over his front. 

"Very good, Potter. Suave," Lily said, hiding a grin at the indignant - and then embarrassed - look on James's face.

"Oh, alright, what's the magic word?" Treasure asked. Sirius seemed to ponder this for a moment.

he kind-of-said with a smirk. 

"No, dear, I said magic _word_, not phrase. C'mon, you're a bright boy, you can think of it. Swallow your pride, I wont tell anyone." James, Remus and Peter burst out laughing.

"Although, they might," Treasure said as an afterthought, nodding in their direction. The entire Gryffindor table was silent, and that fact alone was spreading through the hall until most eyes were on Sirius and Treasure. Sirius looked like he was fighting an inner battle.

Lily sighed. "Oh, come on Treasure, just lift the spell," she muttered, looking quite unamused and very bored. The fact was that Lily was tired, and they still had to unpack. And lessons started tomorrow! Sirius nodded vigorously. Most of the school started to laugh. If there was one thing you could say about Sirius and Treasure's relationship - which both would deny the existence of - was that it did provide entertainment for the Gryffindor and the other Houses, often at the expense of Sirius and Treasure themselves.

he finally mouthed. Treasure beamed. "Okay!" she squealed happily, waving her wand and muttering the counter spell. Sirius let out a breath, and said darkly, "I'll get you for that one, Belle." 

Treasure grinned. "I'm quite sure you will, but it wont change the fact that I got you first, and I got you good," she told him. He shook his head and smiled, and didn't move from his place next to her.

Lily noticed this all too well.


	4. Vengence is Charming

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

A few weeks had passed since Treasure had performed her spell making Sirius suddenly speechless. Treasure spotted him walking in the halls glaring at everyone would mouth gibberish to him. His glaring was slightly less effective than usual considering he practically jumped when someone shouted "_Silencio!_" and would look over his shoulder anxiously whenever they did. It seemed that Sirius highly valued his ability to speak. Treasure made sure to remark snidely to Lily that it wasn't as if he ever said anything of much importance. "All brawn, no brains, Lily, eh?" Treasure quipped, blushing pink under Lily's unimpressed smirk. It didn't help that the insult was unfounded: Sirius was one of the best wizards in their year, a fact which Treasure would unwilling admit impressed her and piqued her love of competition to new levels.

Lily and Treasure were headed to Transfiguration. It was a subject that Treasure loved because of the challenge and the teacher, and one that Lily nearly broke her back in each and every time in an effort to out perform James, who was undeniably the top in the year. Both girls smiled a hello to Professor McGonagall as they entered. Professor McGonagall was a severe looking woman in her forties. She was one of Treasure's favorite teachers, mostly because she was quite determined for all her students to succeed. McGonagall's black hair was secured in a bun at the top of her head - a bun that looked a bit painful, to Treasure, considering how tight it was - and streaked with a steel gray at the temples. Her robes were pressed until they were pin-straight, not a bit out of order. She wore no make up, and her eyebrows were in such a shape so as to increased the hawkishness of her face. She smiled warmly at the girls as they walked in, however, and inclined her head saying "Miss Belle, Miss Evans. We've a tricky lesson today, I hope you read the pages I assigned?" Treasure actually _had_ read the pages last night, but whether or not she retained the information was yet to be seen.

Today's subject was the Vanishing Spell, and Treasure was of course thinking about all the ways she could torment Sirius with this particular charm. Maybe she'd Vanish his hair. Or an eyebrow. Then again, it would be shame - he really was very nice to look at. Treasure grinned wickedly to herself. Maybe she'd Vanish his shirt, instead.

"What are you thinking of?" Lily asked suspiciously as they walked through the doorway and into the classroom.

"Nothing, Lily! You always sound like you think I'm up to something!" Treasure tried to placate her friend, who was unpacking her books rather hurriedly just incase Treasure decided to send them zooming around the room. Treasure was a troublemaker down to her bones, and although she hardly ever meant anything by it, Lily was getting rather exasperated with her tricks. Their fifth year was extremely important, a fact that Treasure still didn't seem to be grasping.

"That's because you usually _are_ up to something, Tres." Lily snorted when her friend had the audacity to look affronted.

"When have I ever been up to anything, Lily?" Treasure asked. Lily raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Oh, let's see…there was that time during first year, when you Levitated Peter Pettigrew around the Common Room -"

"He was trying to read my diary!"

"And then, in second year, when you disarmed Sirius in the middle of the third floor corridor…except you were a bit overenthusiastic, if you ask me, considering you knocked over _everyone_ who was in the hallway-"

"He asked for it! He was going to steal some first year's hat!"

"And then, in third year, you let out the _entire_ pack of Skrewts, and they rampaged through the greenhouses." Lily shuddered, ignoring Treasure who mutter that there had only been five Skrewts. "And finally, last year you put Veritaserum in Remus's pumpkin juice - highly illegal, and dangerous, should he have had an allergic reaction - just because you wanted to find out if he fancied you."

Treasure bit her lip. "Well, is it my fault I didn't want to ask him when he was…lucid?" she asked, fidgeting. Lily rolled her eyes. "And Sirius nearly cursed my skin off after that, he was so angry. James too, come to think of it," Treasure remembered, a frown tugging at her lips. "Honestly, the boy was fourteen. What horrendous secret could he possibly be hiding? And you have to admit, it was an impressive potion." Treasure nudged Lily, who raised her eyebrows.

"It was - if only you applied yourself like that in _class_, Tres. And I wont even _ask_ where you got the ingredients - or the instructions! It's in the restricted section of the library!"

By then most of the other students had filed into the classroom. Professor McGonagall wasn't one to wait for silence before a class began, and usually students came into her classroom prepared to work - she would just as easily dock points from her own House as any other, after all. "Be quiet! I'm sure, Miss McKenzie, whatever it is Miss Pearl has to say can wait until the end of class," she said sharply to Violet, another Gryffindor fifth year.

"We are here to learn how to Vanish objects and it rather seems all you've succeeded in so far is Vanishing your brains. Do pay attention, as you will be taking your O.W.L.s this year." Treasure winced and made a mental note to try and stay on McGonagall's good side this year.

"Now, I trust that you have all read the pages assigned last night." Professor McGonagall glared around the room, and nobody was in a rush to disprove her. "In that case, who can tell me why Vanishing, along with Conjuring, are some of the most difficult spells to learn? Potter." James grinned and leaned back in his chair.

"Vanishing and Conjuring are polar opposites of each other. They both deal with a realm to which objects are banished to or conjured from. Both spells take immense concentration to 'dispel' or, inversely, 'summon' solid objects from an intangible place."

"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor. Who can explain to me a theory of why it is marginally easier to Vanish and object than to conjure it? Miss Evans?" Lily shot James a snooty look as she lowered her hand.

"It takes greater concentration to make an object materialize. One has to envision the object in its entirety when one conjures. To Vanish, one simple has to envision the object gone." Professor McGonagall smiled.

"A well thought out answer, Miss Evans, but you may find that it is easier said than done. Another five points to Gryffindor. Today we will start small. You each will be given an ordinary beetle to Vanish. I expect to see them all gone at the end of class. Begin."

"Oh, no," Treasure groaned a quarter of an hour later, looking down at the beetle she was supposed to be Vanishing. She had nearly gotten it right, except for the fact that the head of the beetle was still on the table, along with three legs. Treasure looked a bit pale, and Lily looked over from where she was reading, completely beetle-less.

"What's wrong, Treasure?" she asked. Treasure rolled her eyes. "Why must we Vanish bugs? Can't we Vanish feathers, or…flowers, or something else!" she asked, scooting away from her desk as the beetle head rolled towards her, its antennae waving wildly. "Yuck," she grimaced.

Lily laughed. "Here, let me," she said, flicking her wand so that the beetle disappeared completely.

"Thanks, Lils," Treasure sighed.

"Don't worry about it, I'll tutor you after dinner. We'll use quills, inkbottles and parchment instead of insects," Lily promised. Treasure nodded, still a bit pale. She didn't see Sirius eying her mischievously from two desks back.

"James," he whispered. James looked up, ruffling his hair quickly just incase Lily happened to be looking. "You're a stupid git, James." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Look, I just heard that Belle is absolutely terrified of beetles, and seeing as how Wormtail hasn't managed to Vanish his yet, I think its about time for me to get my revenge."

"What do you have in mind, mate?" James grinned.

"Wormtail," Sirius called. Peter Pettigrew looked up. His pale blotchy face was shiny with sweat as he tried again and again to Vanish his beetle. He was pronouncing the spell wrong, and his wrist movements were atrocious. As usual.

"_Accio beetle,_" Sirius whispered, and Peter's beetle flew through the air and landed in Sirius's open palm. He muttered an Engorgement Charm and the beetle grew at least ten times its normal size, now roughly the size of a Bludger.

"That is absolutely disgusting," James said in awe.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Sirius whispered and the beetle floated oddly two desks up to where Treasure and Lily were chatting contently.

"Hey, Belle!" Sirius crowed eagerly, and Treasure looked over and saw the huge beetle floating towards her.

Treasure shrieked, leaping out of her seat and stumbling in an effort to get away. Her face, which was regaining its normal color, paled to a ghostly white and she looked like she was indecisive if she should faint or throw up.

"_Keep that thing away from m-me, Sirius!_" she stammered, her eyes wide. The beetle's legs were thrashing around and Treasure looked like she might have a heart attack, now frozen in place as the bug floated nightmarishly slowly towards her. It was exactly eye-level, and in its enlarged size she could see every glittering window of its eyes. Lily was a bit shocked at Treasure's reaction. She knew her friend had a phobia of bugs, but she didn't expect to see Treasure - who was usually so combative - climbing over desks to get out of the way. Sirius was grinning broadly. Professor McGonagall, on the other side of the room, was lecturing a group of Hufflepuffs on their pronunciation and was uninterested in what was going on behind her.

"Black, you immense idiot!" Lily snapped, whipping out her wand and Vanishing the huge bug in an instant. Sirius looked extremely disappointed (he hadn't been able to get the beetle to touch Treasure, and he wanted to make it chase her around the room), but Professor McGonagall had turned around at that moment and looked very impressed.

"Wonderful, Miss Evans! Take another ten points to Gryffindor! Do you see, now, Perkins? A quick _flick_ of the wrist, from right to left - that's it, Lovegood, keep practicing."

Treasure was shaking. The entire class had been silent; Sirius let out a loud booming laugh. James began to laugh as well, but quieted down a bit when he saw Lily glaring daggers. He ruffled his hair uncomfortably. Some others joined in laughing, but some were looking sympathetically at where Treasure stood, rooted to the floor. Isabelle and Violet in particular looked torn between feeling revolted along with Treasure, or pleased along with Sirius. Peter Pettigrew laughed shamelessly; he always idolized Sirius as well as James. Remus was looking at Treasure a bit worriedly, but when Sirius glared at him, he looked away and suddenly became very interested in his hands.

"_Sirius Black you are the most vile, mean spirited bully I've ever -!"_ Lily broke off sputtering. "How dare you, can't you see she's TERRIFIED of bugs? What is WRONG with you?" Lily shouted, hurrying over to Treasure and putting an arm around her shoulder. Treasure let out a long breath, her eyes still nervously on the spot where the beetle had been.

"That was a bit uncalled for, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said dryly. Sirius grinned and said nothing. "Eww?" Treasure piped up, smoothing back her hair, which was as unruly as ever and now looked as though it had tried to climb out of her scalp to get away from the Engorged Beetle.

"Miss Belle, could you please be so kind as to take your seat? Class is not over yet," Professor McGonagall continued. "For heaven's sake, girl, it was only a beetle. Now sit down."

"You want me to sit there? Where that _thing_ just was? What if it comes back? What if the Vanishing Spell didn't work?" she said nervously. Lily clicked her tongue, a bit miffed that Treasure thought her spell wouldn't work. The class tittered with suppressed laughter. Pettigrew snickered, but shut up when Remus shot an evil look at him. Sirius felt a bit guilty, hearing the apprehension in Treasure's voice. But he shoved it away, she deserved this for the stunt she pulled on him.

"Yes, Miss Belle, I want you to sit there. It is your assigned seat." the Professor said, although not unkindly. "Perhaps I should remind you, Miss Belle, that if you do not wish to have beetles sent flying in your general direction, you should be less flippant about who you curse to silence," she added, the smallest of smiles on her lips. The class tittered again, and even Treasure managed a shaky smile. She sighed and continued to eye her seat nervously, and Lily looked as if she might offer to trade. Treasure quietly shook her head at Lily and made her way back to her seat. She glared a challenge at Sirius, who held her gaze. Lily knew their battle was only beginning, and she pinched the bridge of her nose wearily, not quite certain she wanted to know what was going to happen next.


	5. Dueling and Divination

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"All we have is Divination, we can just pretend to work," Lily said, walking with Treasure to the Divination classroom. Treasure nodded her agreement and after a moment said, "Lily, did I just hear you right? _You_ are going to fake-work?"

"Catch on quick, don't you?"

Treasure opened her mouth to answer but then yelped and shuddered as if feeling something crawl up her spine. She turned around and saw Sirius standing behind her, his hand out stretched. She glared at him and pulled out her wand. "You are really begging me to Curse you," she threatened, her lips twitching in an unwilling smile. Her hair seemed to crackle with energy, as if she wanted nothing more than to have an all out duel with Sirius right here in the corridor.

Lily stood with her arms across her chest, glaring angrily at Sirius. James came and stood next to his best friend defiantly. Pretty as Evans undoubtedly was, some broad would not come between him and Padfoot. It was against the Marauder's Code. But as Lily turned her icy stare on him, James half-felt the need to back down. Looking past Lily's shoulder he saw something to distract Sirius from torturing his girl's best friend…and maybe saving Sirius a trip to the Infirmary. Treasure looked murderous, and delightedly so.

Students had, as usual, gathered around to see what would happen next. James cleared his throat hastily, "Padfoot, look who it is. I'll be damned, its our dear friend _Snivellus,_" James sneered. Sirius, looking away from Treasure with the alertness of a hunting dog, spotted the greasy haired Slytherin walking hunched next to Bellatrix Black, who was looking a bit lank herself.

Treasure started to laugh. "Oh, Bella, dear, what on earth did you do to your hair? Been hiding in the dungeons for too long? You look like a rat," she sneered. Lily bit her lip, she hated it when Treasure deliberately picked a fight. While Treasure's little spats with Sirius might be more fun and games than actually malevolence, it wasn't the case with Bellatrix. Then again, Lily thought, she, Bellatrix, really did have it coming. Lily let her wand slip comfortably into her hand from up her sleeves, ready incase the skinny Slytherin was going to pull something like she did on the Hogwarts express. Still, as a Prefect and with all those first years milling about, Lily thought it was her duty to prevent a massacre where she could.

"Come on, Treasure, don't cause trouble. We haven't even been here for a month yet! Quidditch didn't even start yet!" she begged, checking her watch. "Besides, we're gonna be late!"

Sirius eyed Treasure, wanting to see what she would do. Treasure sighed. "Oh come on, Lils, we have _six whole minutes_ to get up to the Divination tower. And Professor D'yani doesn't say anything if we're late, except that she's 'Seen' it," she whined. "Besides," Treasure said angrily, "that little wretch got a spell on me last time I saw her. It's time I got her for it - except I wont wait until her back is turned!"

Lily didn't argue, but she really didn't need Treasure to have detention for the next week. It seemed she'd just have to watch this one out. Bellatrix's head would probably be set alight before this was over.

Meanwhile, Sirius was walking up to Severus. "Oh, found yourself a girlfriend, have you, Snivellus?" he said snidely. Lily rolled her eyes - apparently, Black wouldn't allow Treasure of have all the spotlight. If there was to be a duel, Sirius would have to have in on it too. Lily was getting more exasperated by the second.

"Who would ever want to be seen with a slimeball like him?" James taunted.

"You leave him alone, Potter!" Lily said loudly, pointing her wand at James. James, for his part, look mildly shocked. Severus, his eyes darting to Lily triumphantly, had his wand out in an instant.

"Oh, look - the Mudblood's got a crush on you, Sev," Bellatrix said snidely.

"Be quiet, Bella," Severus hissed.

"Don't tell me _you_ fancy this ugly little worm, Evans?" James snarled angrily.

"He's a great sight better than _you_, Potter! At least he doesn't go running about jinxing third years to make himself seem more important! You're pathetic, James Potter!" Lily said angrily, hurrying to place herself between Severus and James.

"Stand aside, Lily," Severus said quietly. Treasure looked mildly disgusted, and more than a little mortified that Lily would go through so much trouble for a Slytherin. James looked enraged, and took quick advantage of the situation by snarling "_Avis_!" and gesturing violently with his wand. A flock of angry birds exploded from the tip and headed towards Snape, who brandished his wand quickly and had them fall, useless, to the ground.

"Potter!" Lily shouted, sending a stream of charmed bubbles at him. James looked surprised until the bubbles burst into a storm of hornets, which swarmed around him angrily. James roared in pain as the hornets attacked him ruthlessly. Bellatrix aimed a hex at Treasure, but Sirius shouted "_Protego!_" so quickly that his cousin was knocked over. Treasure grinned her thanks at him and Disarmed the other brunette, who shrieked in anger and Treasure Levitated her wand to rest on the ledges that held lamps along the walls. She then waved her wand at Lily's hornets, shrugged apologetically as the hornets transformed into harmless flower petals with tiny popping sounds.

Lily, furious, made her way to the Divination tower and James followed hastily, much to Snape's displeasure. He Summoned Bellatrix's wand down from the ceiling as the hallway began to empty. Treasure and Sirius turned to go, and Treasure yelped as the hot air of a jinx buzzed past her ear and hit Sirius, who instantly went ramrod straight and fell to the floor.

"That's for Potter," Snape snarled, his lip curling as Treasure knelt by Sirius to undo the hex. She sent a curse after Severus, regardless of Lily might say, and one after Bellatrix for good measure, but the two vanished around the corner of the corridor in a swirl of black robes and their only effect was to send the inhabitants of a few portraits screaming into other frames.

"Sorry," Treasure muttered, releasing Sirius from the Full Body-Bind. "That's the second time your cousin has run away from me without a scratch on her! It's a bad habit," Treasure groused.

"That good for nothing git!" Sirius snapped, seeming to not hear her and standing up to brush his robes off angrily. Treasure rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm as he made to go after Snape.

"C'mon, Black, we're going to be late for class. Lily's going to give me hell as it is, I'm willing to bet. Don't worry, I wont tell James that Snape got one over you," she said. Sirius grumbled angrily, but allowed her to lead him to the Divination tower anyway.

When Treasure and Sirius finally got to class - everyone else having gone on ahead -Professor Dyani was waiting in the stuffy room. She swooped down on them like a hawk, "I shall not ask where you have been, for I have Seen it," ("Huh, imagine that," muttered Treasure.)

"I will not have couples strolling leisurely in the hall," the Professor continued, her large blue eyes fastened on the four who had entered late. The class snickered. "Ooh, Treasure and Sirius," Violet McKenzie called out in a singsong voice. She and Isabelle Pearl, another Gryffindor fifth year, tittered away infuriatingly, and Treasure felt her face heat.

"Take your seats, five points shall be taken from Gryffindor from each of you," Professor D'yani snapped.

"Speaking of which, today we shall be studying the Zodiac, how it effects personalities, and its impact on compatibility between people," she said, her hostile manor dissipating with the smoke that filled the room, making it very difficult to breathe. "We shall only be doing this, however, until the crystal balls come in. There has been a delay in the order," she explained, as if people were dying to know why they were denied crystal gazing. Professor D'yani waved her wand and charts of the Zodiac flew to each table. The four who were late had no choice but to sit together. James was the only one who didn't seem to be too perturbed by this.

"So, Evans, what does it say about _our_ compatability?" he asked cheekily. She rolled her eyes, and Treasure could see her sucking her teeth in an attempt to refrain from sending another horde of hornets after him.

"You think you're real clever, don't you James? It doesn't take any of _this_," Lily indicated the Zodiac charts, "to understand that our compatibility is zero." Treasure grinned, itching to push her friend's buttons once more, especially after her show of solidarity with a Slytherin.

"I don't know, Lily, James is a Pisces and you're a Leo…water and fire. They say that opposites attract, you know," she suggested. Sirius chuckled, "There's still hope, then, eh James?"

"Oh, and what about you, Treasure? Aries and…hmm, Sirius is a Gemini. Air and fire work out pretty well," Lily shot back.

"He wishes," she snorted. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"You better be grateful you get me, Belle, you could be stuck with Pettigrew," he said. Treasure narrowed her eyes. "And who says that _you _are the better deal? Need I remind you of that _awful_ prank you pulled on me in last period? Or have you forgotten?" she asked angrily.

"Have _you_ forgotten how I saved your tail from a rather nasty curse of Bella's, Tres? What's the matter? Not feeling up to par, lately? Can't hold you own?" he taunted haughtily.

"As if I need _you_ to protect me, Sirius Black! I could blast you to pieces right here!" she hissed.

"It's a promise!" she spat, not about to be intimidated into losing ground, and leaning in until they were nose to nose.

But before she could finish that thought, Sirius closed the distance between them and kissed her on the lips. Lily gasped, and since it was quiet in the room, others stopped to look. Treasure pulled away so quickly she tipped back and nearly fell off her armchair. The class burst into laughter, Isabelle and Violet not bothering to hide the jealous glances that they tossed Treasure's way. It was a well known fact that Sirius was perhaps the best looking boy in the school, preferred above even James and Remus.

"As I said, I have Seen this," Professor D'yani said loftily. Treasure was staring wide eyed at Sirius, her hand over her mouth in shock. James was grinning widely, and Lily was suppressing her own laughter.

"Another five points from Gryffindor, I thought this class would be a bit more mature with this topic," the Professor said. Treasure let out a breath; class couldn't end soon enough, but even when it did she would never hear the end of this one.


	6. The Complexity of Social Lepers

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

As soon as class was over, Treasure bolted out the door and practically flew down the silver ladder that led up to the Divination classroom. She was angry, confused and embarrassed - mortified, really - but forced herself to feel more anger than anything else. What Treasure would not let herself feel was hurt. Lily flew down the ladder to catch up with her, getting her foot caught on the last rung and nearly falling flat on her face. In her struggle to untangle her limbs from the silver ladder, Treasure disappeared around a corner in a flash of dark hair and dark robes. Lily cursed under her breath and, tapping the ladder with her wand, mumbled a charm that would make the ladder collapse under the weight of the next user. She was certain it would be either Black or Potter - who would assuredly leave the classroom at the head of the pack - but at the moment she didn't care which, she just wanted to cause some small sense of embarrassment on behalf of her best friend.

When Lily got to the Great Hall, Treasure was nowhere in sight among their fellow Gryffindors. Lily sat down, confused. _Maybe she just went to the bathroom,_ she thought. Treasure was never one to skip a meal, she was usually ravenous. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter walked up and with a sense of triumph Lily saw that Sirius looked rather disheveled. A moment later, Lily thought with a sinking feeling that it might just be because every Gryffindor male was taking it upon himself to pat Sirius on the back, and more than once James caught the taller boy in a headlock and ruffled his hair. Lily rolled her eyes at their congratulatory spirit, disgusted.

Sirius was walking rather slowly, glaring harshly at Peter who couldn't seem to find it in himself to stop snickering immaturely. "If you don't shut up, Wormtail, I'll take a leaf out of Treasure's book and Silence you," he warned. Peter only snickered harder.

"I'm sure that's not all you'll be wanting from Treasure," he said. Lily thought that she might be sick. She kept her head down, not wanting James to notice her. He noticed anyway, of course. He always did.

"Hey, Evans, where'd Treasure go? Why was she in such a rush to leave Divination?"

Lily rolled her eyes and decided not to dignify his remark with an answer. Instead, she stared blandly and disgustedly at him. Slowly, his face began to flush. Good, Lily thought. At least _he _seemed rather ashamed of himself. The other Gryffindor fifth year, Ramon Martinez, an exchange student from Colombia, and Pettigrew took turns puckering up and snickering. Sirius looked highly uncomfortable, and Lily allowed herself a smug grin. _That'll teach him to think before he just does things,_ she thought.

The meal, which was a feast really, began and Lily ate as fast as she could. Sirius kept looking around the table, and James kept staring at her. She thought she might get indigestion. She was wolfing down her second turkey drumstick in an attempt to leave as fast as she could, when James opened his mouth to say something. Lily grimaced as she noticed it was full of food. _Boys,_ she thought frustrated. She jumped up, grabbing her books. "Gotta go," she said, around a mouth full of turkey. She ran up to the Gryffindor Common Room, hoping to find Treasure there.

Treasure was sitting in a squashy red arm chair by the fire. She had gone to the kitchens for food, snagging a bowl of soup and some greasy fish and chips. She'd taken up pockets full of dessert, but her stomach hurt too much for her to look at them. Now was a good time as any to practice Vanishing Charms, she figured so she attempted to Vanish the cakes and cookies. So far all she had managed to do was send them zooming into the fire.

"At least they're not there anymore," Lily said, taking a seat opposite Treasure.

"_What _a day," Treasure sighed.

"I'll say. I don't know which revenge was worse, the beetle or the kiss."

"The kiss," Treasure said flatly.

"Oh, come on, Treasure, it couldn't have been all that bad!" Lily said.

"It was," Treasure said miserably, her face in her hands.

"Do you mind if I have a cookie?" Lily asked. Treasure shook her head. Lily bit thoughtfully into the cookie. "Well it just goes to show you that you'll have to watch your mouth," she said. Treasure looked up angrily.

"I _was_ watching my mouth, and it wasn't anywhere near _his_!" she exclaimed, apparently too incensed to even speak _his_ name.

"Well you did say 'bite me.' He's a fifteen year old boy, you can't trust how his mind operates. You're lucky a quick peck on the lips was all he did," Lily laughed. Treasure waved her wand at the cookie that Lily was raising to her mouth. It Vanished, but Treasure was too distracted to notice. Lily bit into thin air, and looked up glaring at her friend. Then she realized what Treasure had done, and she grinned.

"Since when are you the experts on those social lepers?" Treasure was grumbling, sinking lower into the armchair and zooming cookies into the fire with renewed fervor.

"'Bite me' does not mean 'kiss me'! If I had said 'kiss me' then, yes, I would be to blame. But I said 'bite me'. As in, 'shut up', 'go to hell,' 'I hate you.' That kind of thing!" Treasure shouted. Lily couldn't help but start to laugh.

"Yeah but given the circumstances, I can understand why he would be confused…"

"What in the name of Morgan le Fay are you _saying_, Lillania C. Evans?" Treasure's use of Lily's full name was supposed to be threatening, and the red-head could tell that her friend was itching for a fight. Lily thought wistfully that Quidditch season was still two week away - usually all the practice was enough to keep Treasure's pent up energy relatively in check. No wonder Treasure was getting into trouble every where she turned.

"Just that you wouldn't have been able to cut through all that tension with the sword of Godric Gryffindor!" Lily said, trying and failing to keep her eyes wide and innocent and instead dissolving into giggles at the affronted look on Treasure's face.

"Tension! What tension? If there was tension it was _only _because I was restraining myself from hexing Sirius Black to the moon!"

"No, Tres, not that kind of tension…" Lily hinted. Treasure looked furious and, Vanishing the rest of the cookies, she pointed her wand at the fireplace, where the fire began to roar in earnest. She began to pace back and forth, and the flames seemed to dance with her every move. Lily began to get worried, thinking that if she didn't help calm Treasure down, the Common Room would be in cinders before the rest of the Gryffindors finished their dessert.

"Treasure, cool it. I'm sure it will all be forgotten by tomorrow," she said.

"_Riiight_." Treasure let her dark hair fall into her face like a curtain as she flopped back into her armchair, hiding what Lily knew was probably insurmountable embarrassment. Her eyes were flashing liquid amber in the firelight, and if Lily hadn't known her temperamental friend better, she might have been alarmed.

"What are you looking at _me_ for, Treasure? _I _am not the one who kissed you!" Lily exclaimed. Treasure sighed. "I'm sorry, Lils, but what was he playing at by kissing me? I mean, what was the point, besides getting some stupid revenge, which, might I add, he'd already gotten!" she snarled. Lily pondered this for a moment.

"Well, there are two possibilities: One, it was just another revenge ploy, as the first was rather weak. _Or_, he really likes you," she said, emphasizing the latter. Treasure looked up, mystified.

"Oh, come off it, Lils," she said, a cynical grin breaking out on her face. Lily shook her head.

"No, really, I mean it. It _is _a possibility. My mother used to tell me that a sure way to tell if a boy liked you was if he came up and punched you on the arm, and then ran away," she said.

"He didn't punch me on the arm, though. He chased me around a classroom with a Griffin-sized beetle and then kissed me half an hour later! If _only _boys were as simple as they are in the Muggle world!" Lily looked rather annoyed at the comment, after all, she had grown up with Muggle boys until she was eleven and they were in no way _simple._ Simple minded, maybe. But not simple.

"You're just complicating things," Lily said shortly.

"Whatever you say, _you're_ the expert, apparently," Treasure mumbled. Lily was silent, pulling out her books and starting her homework. Treasure did the same. Both girls were immersed in their work, when Lily looked up suddenly.

"Hey, Treasure…what was it like?"

Before Treasure could demand just what Lily was talking about, the portrait of the Fat Lady banged open loudly, startling both of the girls. Treasure sighed, knowing who it must be. _Just wonderful,_ she thought.

"Hey, Treasure, your lover boy is here!" Violet shrieked, walking in with Isabelle and the last Gryffindor fifth year, a pretty, shy Asian girl named Ilenya Ngo. Treasure rolled her eyes.

"Your intellect never ceases to amaze, Violet," she said sarcastically. Lily looked at Treasure. "Just ignore them, they're not worth it," she mouthed. Treasure nodded.

"So, tell us, Sirius, what was the kiss for? Was it a true romantic moment, or was it just the best revenge ever had?" Ramon asked. Treasure closed her eyes and tried very, very hard to disappear.

"I should learn how to Apparate," she muttered. Lily chuckled and explained the futility of such an act while inside Hogwarts. "Wishful thinking, at least let me have that," Treasure answered grumpily, though still thankful that her friend was there.

"Well," Sirius said. Treasure felt her face flush; the desire to jinx Sirius and then everyone else in the room was really strong. Sirius looked at Treasure, who was staring fixedly at the fire. Then he looked around at everyone else, knowing that he would be endlessly tormented if he said it wasn't just for revenge. But it was, wasn't it?

"It was a bloody good revenge prank," he said. The boys cheered, and so did some of the girls. Most had the decency to look disgusted, however, or to at least pretend to be disgusted. Treasure stood up and looked right at Sirius.

"The joke's on you, Sirius, you vile, pretentious toad," she snapped. "The only reason a kiss could be remotely considered a form of revenge is if it were insufferably horrible. Congratulations, you've gotten your revenge then!" Treasure stormed off to the fifth year girl's dormitory to the hoots and hollers of the rest of her fellow Gryffindors, not bothering to see if her words struck a chord with Sirius. Lily followed immediately, knowing her best friend was on the verge of tears but relishing the look of embarrassment on Sirius's face.

"Oooh, you hear that Black? You're vile, a boil on the backside of humanity, and a terrible kisser to boot!" Ramon crowed, snickering. Remus sighed, saying nothing and leaving to go to bed; James met Sirius's eyes. Sirius held James's gaze nonchalantly, but looked away after a moment.

"Yes, I'm a vile and very tired boil, though. Good-night," he said, heading up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

"Oh, no, Sirius, don't go, have a game of Wizard's Chess!" Isabelle said, batting her lashes flirtatiously. "Er, you have something in your eye, Isabelle?" Sirius said, yawning loudly. She pouted at him. James laughed. "Let's go, mate," he said, clapping Sirius on the back. They headed up to the fifth years' dorm together and Sirius flopped down on his bed with a sigh.

"You fancy her."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about, Prongs?" Sirius asked, peeling open one eye to stare at James.

"Treasure."

"Okay, James, who Confunded you?"

"Don't try to hide it from me, Padfoot, I can see right through you," James said warningly. Sirius frowned but said nothing: James was the only one in the world who could tell him what to do and not get a black eye or a Stinging Hex thrown in his face.

"Yes, because I float beetles at women to prove my love," Sirius spat finally.

"Alright then, if you don't like the girl, tell me why did you kiss her?"

"You already know, just like the rest of them know out that, that I did it for revenge."

"If you ask me, Treasure was right - I don't see how a kiss is vengeful…" James said shortly. Sirius glared. "Well, you saw her! She hated it!" he said. James burst out laughing. "You sound offended," he said.

"Well wouldn't you be, if a girl ran crying away from you just 'cause you bloody kissed her?" Sirius asked.

"Not," James said slowly, "if I didn't fancy her."

Sirius pulled closed the heavy curtains around his four poster. It didn't block out the sound of James laughing, nor did it block out him saying, "I told you I'd see right through you mate."

* * *

Treasure lay on her bed, the gauzy dark red curtains closed. She stared up at the ceiling, hating how tears were burning behind her eyes, and how her throat was tight and painful. _Damn him, the stupid wart…_she thought angrily.

"Treasure?" Lily asked timidly.

"Hmm?" Treasure asked, sitting up and pulling the rope that opened the curtains and smiling brightly if fake. "Are you quite all right? It was just awful what he said," Lily said softly, sitting on her own bed. Treasure sighed.

"I'll be fine once I stop thinking of all the ways I'd like to maim him and just decide on one," she said toughly. Lily smiled. For all her tough words, Treasure would never admit that she was hurt. It was Lily's only problem with her friend - she hated to ask for help, and loathed to admit that she was hurt about something. She would make endless snide remarks, or strive to laugh something off - and if those two approaches didn't work, she would hurl hexes in every which direction, but it took a lot of trying to get Treasure to admit that she was hurt.

"Yes, I guess you would be thinking like that," she said. Treasure looked up. "What else would I be thinking of, Lils? The boy just humiliated me in front of the entire Gryffindor house…how am I going to play this one down?"

"Just let it pass," Lily said. Treasure looked scandalized.

"Let is _pass?_ Have you lost your mind? After what he did, he'll be lucky if he can fill up a teaspoon with the remains of his ego, after I've shattered it thoroughly," she said. Lily sighed, frustrated.

"What?"

"Did you ever think that maybe he said that because if he said anything else, they'd never let _him _live it down?" Lily said.

"Are you saying that he said that, if he said he kissed me because he'd like me they'd torment _him?" _she asked. Lily nodded "If that's the case - which I'm sure its not - then he just subjected _me _to what has to be weeks of taunts, just to cover his own skin!"

Lily cringed. When you put it that way, it wasn't quite so endearing. "Yes, but then, at least he likes you!" she said lamely.

"Oh, that is _some _consolation prize. I couldn't give half a rat's ass if he liked me or not!" Treasure laughed.

"I suppose…but…" Lily said, trailing off.

"But what, Lils?" she asked.

"You never answered my question."


	7. The Reason Why

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"So tell me, what was it like?" James asked. Sirius opened the curtains around his bed. "What are you talking about now, Potter?" he asked, extremely tired of stupid questions.

"You know, when you kissed her. What was it like?"

"Oh, don't tell me you don't bloody know!"

James shrugged uncomfortably.

"Let me get this straight, Prongs, for all the girls who have liked you, you've never once had a snog?" Sirius asked, incredulous. "What, were you just waiting for Lily to wake up and throw herself into your arms?"

"Hey, I'm the one who asked the bloody question, so answer it," James snapped. Sirius smirked, but didn't press the issue. "It was like any other kiss," he said, knowing this would infuriate James even more. James said nothing.

"Well, maybe not like any other kiss, 'cause it only lasted a second and she pulled away really fast," he said.

"You know I reckon Lily was right, '_you are the most vile, most arrogant pig headed,' _wanker that I have ever had the bad luck to meet," James snorted. Sirius sighed, "I do feel a bit bad, though," he said.

"I knew that one already, Padfoot."

"But she deserves it, doesn't she?" Sirius asked, needing what he did to be justified.

"Sorry, mate, but I'm gonna have to say she didn't," he said. Sirius ran a hand through his hair.

"You're right, I've been a bigger wanker than you," he said. James grinned, "Given your current state of distress, I'll ignore that," he said. Sirius pulled the curtains closed and tried to go to sleep.

* * *

"What question?" Treasure asked, puzzled.

"What was it like? When he kissed you?" Lily asked. Her eyes were bright, and she was grinning. Treasure rolled her eyes. "If you're thinking flowers and birds singing, you're not as smart as your Prefect badge claims you are," she said glumly.

"Ouch."

"Sorry, Lils, but it wasn't at all romantic. In fact, I could have lived without it. It was…surprising…and I suppose it _could_ have been nice if it was done for the right reasons…but it wasn't," Treasure slid out of her bed and sat by the window, watching the moonlight slowly make its way over the grounds, a milky glow that bathed the forest in silver. Treasure suddenly felt an intense yearning to run into the forest, where everything was alive but nothing was human. The life in the forest was different, the magic was old and ancient and there was never any trace of pettiness there. Treasure wrapped her arms around herself and glared, looking away from the moon that, as always on the Hogwarts grounds, looked unnaturally large.

"I see what you're saying…but for that one moment when he kissed you, wasn't it a teeny bit nice? I mean, he's not ugly…" Lily was saying.

"Well, if I was going by looks alone then it was spectacular…but afterwards, like just now, when he said it was just some prank. That ruined it," Treasure laughed, shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably and pulling her hair into a ponytail. She made her way over to Lily's bed and flopped down on her stomach, resting her chin in her hands and kicking her feet restlessly in the air. Lily grinned at the energy that always seemed to be fighting its way out of her friend, restless and desperate for something incredible to happen whenever there was a dull moment.

"Do you like him?" Lily asked. Treasure stilled, startled.

"That's a stupid question."

"No it's not. Do you?" Lily repeated. Treasure pondered this for a while.

"I might have, at one point. But no, I don't think I do." Lily sighed again. She had hoped for an answer in the affirmative - it might help Treasure and Sirius move along on the path of least resistance - if they could get it out there that they both fancied each other, they'd spend a lot less time jinxing each other and probably a lot more time kissing. Lily wasn't exactly pleased at the idea of either, but at least kissing was - theoretically - a lot quieter.

"What?"

Lily smiled. "If I tell you, you'll kill me," she said.

"I probably will, so don't tell me." Lily flung a pillow at Treasure. "I was gonna say, you and Sirius would make such a cute couple," she said.

"You're right, I will kill you," Treasure shrieked, flinging the pillow back harder.

* * *

The next day was Saturday, and it would be the start of the weekend from hell, as far as Treasure was concerned. Gossip, especially about stupid stuff like _romance _and who was dating who, traveled as fast as a mother dragon whose eggs were stolen, and was just about as vicious. Treasure woke early, hoping to get out of the dorm before Violet and Isabelle woke up and took it upon themselves to circulate rumors that would make the editor _Witch Weekly_ blush. They seemed to have assigned themselves to the task of personally making Treasure's life miserable. Last night, they had walked in at about one in the morning and stood by Treasure's bed making loud kissing noises. They didn't go away until Treasure screamed that as flattered as she was that they obviously admired her so, she was not interested in what they had to offer.

Treasure wrapped herself in a robe and slid her feet into slippers, padding out to the Common Room. She sat by the fire, not really awake enough to realize that she was no alone. "You're up early," a voice said, and Treasure nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Remus, don't _do_ that!" she yelped, turning around in her armchair. Sure enough, there Remus Lupin stood, looking haggard and tired in a robe and PJ's. He smiled and sat across from her in the armchair.

"What are you doing up this early?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing."

He nodded, "I couldn't sleep," he said.

"Neither could I." A silence descended between the two that, had it been anyone else, Treasure would have felt highly uncomfortable. With Remus, however, it was different. He sat with his hands folded in his lap and a blanket over his legs, looking for all the world like a tired old man rather than a teenage boy - and certainly not a teenage boy as immature as the louts he hung around with. There was a contented smile on his face that even the dark circles under his eyes couldn't hide. Treasure crept quietly around the arm chair next to him and sat down.

"So…" Treasure started, fidgeting nervously with the fraying ends of her old robe.

"Sirius probably didn't mean anything by what he did -"

"_You_ heard what he said!"

"Sirius and James aren't known for thinking before they say things, Tres."

"Yeah well, I bet _you_ wouldn't have done something so stupid, and selfish - all for a joke!"

Before he could answer, another person came bounding down the stairs. "Moony, where've you been?" Sirius said loudly. Treasure pursed her lips and tried once again to become invisible. Sirius looked between Remus and Treasure, glaring at Remus in a most intimidating way.

"What are you doing, Moony?" he asked. Treasure stood up. "He's talking to me, got a problem Sirius?" she said angrily. Sirius looked taken aback, and then he glared at Treasure. "No, no problem at all. Perhaps I should leave you two alone!" he said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it letting the other two know he was not about to do anything of the sort. The way Sirius was looking at Remus made Treasure think of a dog possessively warning another as to what was its _own_. And despite Remus's mild complacency, Treasure inadvertently felt like she was the prey. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she leapt from the arm chair angrily, shooting Sirius an incredulous look. Remus watched her shake her head, at first confused and then resolved to be only disgusted. He felt a small smile pull at the edges of his lips. It seemed that the only people who couldn't see that Sirius and Treasure were so very attracted to each other, were Sirius and Treasure themselves.

"So what were you two talking about?" Sirius asked. Treasure smiled, looking a bit terrifying in Remus's opinion.

"We were just talking about what an unbelievable prat you are, Black," she said sweetly.

"Oh, were you really? Care to add what an insufferable, humorless harpy _you _are into the conversation too?"

"Oh, I'm insufferable, am I? Humorless? Well I don't recall me doing anything to you that was particularly hurtful."

"What about that Silencing charm, then, eh?" Sirius shot back.

"Is your ego as defenseless as you were when Snape got that Body-Bind on you, Sirius?"

Remus laughed quietly, earning himself a murderous glare from his friend. He shrugged. "Oh - so you _didn't_ tell your friends, did you? Well, Remus, apparently _Snivellus_ was able to get through this dueling masters defenses. He got you good, Sirius. I've half a mind to go congratulate him!" Treasure snarled. Sirius's jaw clenched angrily - she was talking so loudly that Sirius had no doubt that the whole tower probably heard her. Neither had noticed that Remus had gotten up and walked quietly back to his dorm. In an effort to get her to shut up about his pathetic excuse for a duel with Snape, he changed the subject.

"Well you know what, Belle, I'm _sorry,_ alright? I'm bloody sorry that I kissed you, and that you hated it," he hissed. Treasure, surprised, pulled away quickly. She put a hand up to her lips, glaring at him as if afraid he'd pull a stunt like that again.

"What was it for then, Sirius? _Enlighten me._" she said.

"You want to know why, Belle? It's 'cause I bloody wanted to. It's cause I like you." he said, his face losing all its anger, and now looking very insecure. Treasure faltered, forgetting her searing response and not knowing what to say at all. It was hardly what she expected. She glared at him once more, half-heartedly, and pushed her way past him and up the stairs to the girls' dormitory once more.


	8. Treasure's Secret

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Treasure stormed back into the dormitory, not really caring that it was still quite early in the morning on a Saturday when the students were allowed to sleep in. She banged the door closed, ignoring the sleepy grunts of her dorm mates, and nearly ripped the curtains off from their hangings as she hastily made her bed. She turned and tripped over her broom, which she has been polishing the night before. Quidditch season would be starting soon and she was Beater for the Gryffindor team. Along with Sirius.

"Damn him," Treasure muttered, picking herself up off the floor. She shoved her broom under her bed, uncharacteristically careless with it. Treasure's _Lightning 957_ was her most prized possession. She heaved open her trunk and grabbed a torn blue jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. Students weren't required to wear full uniform on weekends unless they had an extra class, which Treasure usually avoided. She pulled her cloak on and fastened it; it was chilly outside, and overcast. _Perfect_, she thought. Treasure made sure her wand was securely tucked into the back pocket of her pants, pulled on a pair of ratty old sneakers and practically tore her brush through her hair. She quickly slid a hair band around her arm, grabbed a bag that was already packed, and made to leave. She paused and grabbed her broom from under her bed. Maybe she would calm down a bit after flying around for a while.

"Don't go all out to impress him, Treasure," Isabelle said sarcastically, hands on her hips. Treasure rolled her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind," she muttered, and turned to leave. Isabelle snickered, "You are such a freak, Belle. He _kissed_ you, do you know how many girls would _love_ for him to kiss them?"

Treasure laughed. "Oh, right - Sirius Black: Assured future winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most Charming Smile Award, and an ego to fit the title, right? One of the most handsome young Pureblood's the wizarding world has got to offer! I'm off my rocker if I don't jump at the chance to snog him in the janitor's closet at every opportunity, is that it? Don't worry, Isabelle, I'm not interested - so you'll get no competition from me."

"I doubt it would make much difference if you were," Isabelle snapped competitively.

"I'm quite sure it wouldn't," Treasure said joylessly. Her flat tone having been taken for sarcasm, she left the other girl standing there with her mouth open angrily. Isabelle stomped her foot and turned to go back to bed.

* * *

Sirius sat by the fire for a while, trying to understand why he said all that to Treasure. Was he completely mental? He was halfway up the stairs when he heard somebody moving around in the Common Room. He knew it really wasn't his business, but if it was Treasure, then he wanted to know where she was going. _This is going to go just as well as every other encounter you've had with her so far this year, Padfoot,_ he thought to himself angrily. 

Sirius and Treasure had been friends through all their years at Hogwarts. In fact, Sirius thought she would have made a fine addition to the Marauders, because she obviously knew all the secret passageways through the castle, even without the map. Indeed she had assisted Sirius and James in mapping them out on parchment. She didn't know that they went on to Charm the parchment making it an interactive map of the entire school, and Sirius and James had gradually come to the conclusion that there was no room among the Marauders for girls. If Treasure had heard _that_, Sirius would sure that he would have had to suffer a lot more than just a Silencing Charm.

Sirius saw Treasure leave through the portrait hole carrying her broom. He wondered where she was going, it was only about eight in the morning, still early, especially on a Saturday. He sprinted up the stairs and threw on some clothes, grabbed his broom and headed out to follow her.

The girl was fast, and Sirius wasn't quite sure where she had gone. But since she had her broom with her, it seemed safe to assume that she was going to the Quidditch field. He took a short cut, hoping to get there first. It would be great to see her reaction. But then, he didn't really want to see her. After what he had told her, and how she had reacted…it would be relatively humiliating to have to face her. Sirius sighed, he and Treasure had been friends before, but this year was changing everything and he rather missed her company.

When he got to the field he was shocked to see Treasure farther down, headed straight for the Forbidden Forest. It was dangerous in there; Sirius knew: he and James had gone to the Forest plenty of times before, literally every month when Remus became Moony. Sirius narrowed his eyes as Treasure hurried to the Forest. He sighed, and began to follow her.

He ran, as quietly as he could, to catch up with her. She disappeared into the trees, and Sirius ran harder to keep her ahead of him. They walked for what seemed to be at least an hour until Treasure was in the middle of a clearing. Sirius was hiding behind a tree, watching her.

"Here, darling, come on out, there's no one here to hurt you, it's just me," Treasure called. Sirius narrowed his eyes again, hoping that Treasure had not lost her mind. A small gasp escaped his lips as a small horse shaped creature stepped out from behind the trees, and made its way over to where Treasure was standing. Treasure smiled, "There you go, little sunshine. Beautiful…" she said, petting its mane. It was small, about the size of a filly it was a very light colored gold. As Sirius looked at the animal curiously, he saw that it had a very long gold horn on its head. It was a unicorn, and from its size and coloring, it was a baby.

"Here, I brought you something," Treasure whispered, reaching into her bag and pulling out a carrot. At first she wasn't sure if unicorns liked carrots and apples and sugar cubes the way regular horses did, but her unicorn seemed to. This unicorn was but a baby, only about two years old, and as far as Treasure knew, had no herd or family that she belonged to. Unicorns were known to be very solitary creatures. They were immortal, and extremely rare and so very often kept to themselves. They never came to wizards - although the babies were more likely to tolerate the presence of a wizard - and there were legends that said that if a unicorn came to you without your hunting it, you would have a life blessed with good fortune. Treasure didn't know if this was true, but she regarded it as good fortune enough that she had met _this _unicorn.

Catching a unicorn was tricky, keeping one was nearly impossible and killing one was regarded as the gravest sin. The little unicorn gave a whine as if she was following Treasure's thoughts. The dark-haired which clucked her tongue softly in apology and pulled out a sugar cube as a peace offering. As often as she could, Treasure came to the Forest to be around the unicorn. She'd never told anyone about her, not even Lily.

Sirius watched as Treasure fed the creature the sugar cube, who nudged it cautiously with her nose before taking it. Treasure laughed. She walked towards the other side of the clearing, and Sirius strained to be able to see her, but she had gone out of his line of vision and he felt himself losing his balance.

"Bloody hell," he muttered as he fell, realizing that Treasure would see him and surely beat him to a bloody pulp. Treasure looked up, surprised, and the unicorn neighed a little, but didn't run away. Sirius tried to scramble to another hiding spot, but Treasure had already heard where he was.

"Who's there?" she said, turning around and seeing Sirius lying on the floor. She glared at him. "What do you think you're doing here?" she said angrily, walking over to where he was and grabbing him by his arm, "helping" him up. He looked at her, sheepish and annoyed.

"Making sure _you _don't get hurt. The Forest is dangerous, you know?"

Treasure crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Really? I suppose _that's_ why they call it Forbidden? And here I was thinking it was all just a silly joke, you know, a misnomer!" she scoffed, pushing his shoulder back roughly and turning away.

"I _know_ what I'm doing, and I don't need you to watch out for me." It was meant as a dismissal.

Sirius shrugged, "If you say so. By the way, nice horse you have there," he said. Treasure looked like she might explode. "She's _not_ a horse, she's a unicorn and she's not mine. And if you tell _anyone_ that you saw her, I'll put a permanent Silencing Charm on you!" she threatened.

Sirius held up his hands, palms up - he wasn't offering a threat. "I wont tell, I swear," he said, mock frightened.

"Why did you follow me anyway?" she said dejectedly. She turned around; the unicorn had run off in fear of the new person here. Treasure sighed and picked up her bag and broomstick.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said, nodding in the direction the unicorn had gone. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and Treasure raised her eyebrows. "Awkward" wasn't a word you would use to describe Sirius Black but, Treasure thought as she pursed her lips and contemplated him, it suited him. It smoothed out the dramatic planes of his face, making the almost devilish good looks softer, less drastic.

"Well? Why did you follow me?" Treasure prodded, shaking herself out of her reverie.

"I wanted to say that I was sorry…for what I said before." he said, not looking at her. Treasure smiled thinly. "What, about the revenge thing or about liking me?" she said bluntly. Sirius shrugged and then stopped walking, looking directly into Treasure's eyes. She looked back at him quizzically.

"I'm sorry that I said the kiss was just for revenge, because it wasn't. But I'm not sorry for kissing you, and I'm not sorry for liking you," he said. Treasure didn't have the type of personality that was prone to holding grudges, not in the face of what seemed like a perfectly honest apology and especially not after Sirius had gone swallowed pride first, but she didn't quite no what to say. Mirroring him, she shrugged.

"Well, then I think I can forgive you, then," she teased, and laughed when Sirius let out a sigh of relief. They were nearly at the field and were surprised to see two people sitting in the middle, as if at a picnic. Sirius was debating whether or not to ask Treasure what he would have to do to redeem himself but then decided that would be pushing the issue right into groveling. And Sirius Black did not grovel, bewitching witch or not.

"That's Remus," he said instead, confused.

"Who's that girl he's with?" Treasure asked.


	9. Moony's Veela

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"Should we go see who he's talking to?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know…it looks pretty…private," Treasure said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Sirius shrugged, grabbed her bag and broomstick, and made his way over to where his friend was sitting, quite close in fact, to a _girl_. Treasure rolled her eyes and followed him, glad that he was in front of her so he wouldn't see the somewhat ridiculous smile that stretched itself over her face.

When they got there, Treasure beamed. "Hi, Remus," she said brightly. He smiled up at her, and gestured for her to sit down. She did, plopping herself down across the very pretty girl with long blonde hair and green eyes…No, wait, they were silver...no, now there were green. Treasure blinked and thought that she must have woken up far too early and that her mind was playing tricks on her, but Sirius seemed to be contemplating the girl's eyes as well. Treasure frowned slightly and observed the girl with a slightly colder eye.

She was very pretty, almost inhuman looking. Treasure, who besides having her very own secret unicorn (_Not so secret anymore, though_, she thought uneasily), was fascinated with Magical Creatures of all kinds, was reminded of a veela. Her frown deepened. Veela were the most fantastically beautiful creatures that magical world had to offer - right up there with sirens and succubae, though perhaps not quite as Dark. Treasure shifted uncomfortably at the idea that this girl was a veela but on closer observation she saw her chipped nail polish and glittering nose ring. _Not a veela, then,_ Treasure thought._ Not a full one, anyway._ Greatly relieved, Treasure was beginning to feel a bit more friendly.

"Who's this?" Treasure asked, grinning at the way Remus's cheeks began to redden. Sirius gawped shamelessly at his friend, and then even more shamelessly, though with a big more charm, at the blond girl. Treasure poked him in the side, clicking her tongue.

"Er, this is Laurel. Laurel Lovegood. She's in Hufflepuff," Remus said, the tops of his ears turning a bit pink. Treasure's grin widened. "Yes but who is she to _you_?" she asked slyly. Sirius looked interestedly between Remus and Laurel, skeptical and suspicious.

"She's my, uh, girlfriend," Remus said, not looking at Sirius, but not looking embarrassed either. Treasure smiled at Laurel.

"Then I take it he's not as immature and insufferable as this one and Potter?" Treasure asked, indicating Sirius. Sirius scowled at Treasure and, evidently not placing his faith in Remus's ability to woo a female, regained the haughty, bored expression he so often wore to conquer the hearts of Hogwartian girls everywhere. Laurel shrugged nonchalantly, and the tips of Remus's ears grew even pinker. When it became clear that his efforts were not working, Sirius lapsed into a scowl again.

Treasure laughed gleefully, liking Laurel more and more by the minute. Sirius sat down next to Treasure, looking between Remus and Laurel. Treasure nudged him. "Quit staring, what's so weird about Remus having a girlfriend? What, did he get one before you?" she hissed. He shook his head. Treasure rolled her eyes.

"Moony, I'd thought you would have told us at least," Sirius said. Treasure snorted with laughter, admittedly looking a bit ridiculous next to the pristine beauty of the Hufflepuff, who managed somehow make sitting cross-legged on the ground look like sitting on the very finest of thrones.

"Good lord, Black, you are priceless. After how you and James and your little worm groupie act towards _the opposite sex,_" Treasure said dramatically, "I reckon Remus would have rather been skewered by fire pokers and roasted alive than told you about Laurel," she said. "Besides, everyone knows what a skirt-chase _you _are. Maybe he didn't trust you."

Sirius looked rather offended. Remus looked sheepish, but endeavored to deny what Treasure had insinuated. Treasure nudged Sirius lightly again and laughed at his discomfort. Laurel tossed her hair, and Treasure noticed how Remus stared at her. She was less amused when Sirius seemed to be staring in much the same way. More to break the ice than anything, she said, "Laurel, I think you 'ave ze charm of ze veela.'"

Laurel smiled. "Actually, my mother was half-veela," she said.

"Veela blood is pretty obvious in you," Treasure replied, smacking Sirius, who comically shook his head as if coming out of a daze. Laurel laughed easily, her silver eyes dancing merrily into green. "Remus, you better watch your girl," Treasure continued. Remus shrugged and wore the same complacent smile on his face that she had seen that morning.

"So, where are you from?" Treasure asked Laurel.

Laurel shrugged. "I was raised in Prague until I was six, but my family travels a lot. My mother finds it hard to stay in one place for very long. She wanted me to go to Beauxbatons, but I didn't like them very much - a bit too stuck up for me, I think - and then I was supposed to go to the American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where my father received his education, but I didn't want to spend all my time in America, where I live most of the time anyway…so I applied here," she said.

"So are you an exchange student then?" Treasure asked.

"Yes."

They chatted for a while, and Treasure found out the Laurel was probably one of the most interesting people she had ever met. She had every right to be a snob - rich, beautiful, and quite a talented witch - but she was, it seemed, down to earth and soft-spoken. Her father was Muggle-born and worked for a popular Wizarding magazine, her mother was, of course, half-veela and wholly extravagant. Laurel's life was a blur of fabulous places, rich vacations and a mad grandmother who was one-hundred percent veela, but it seemed that Laurel had quite simple tastes herself. The longer she spent watching Remus and Laurel together, the more obvious it became how easy they were around each other as if it were the most natural thing in the world to sit and chat on the Quidditch pitch one cold October morning.

It got warmer as the day wore on. Treasure got up and stretched. She looked up and saw the bright gray sky. "I'm sorry, but I have got to do some flying," she declared. Sirius got up as well, and handed Treasure her broom. "Thank you," she said cheerily, her good mood quite restored after a morning of open air. Sirius narrowed his eyes at her as if suspicious, and Remus chuckled.

"Why don't you guys summon your brooms and we can have a scrimmage Quidditch match," Treasure suggested eagerly, frisking about like a puppy. Sirius grinned, his momentary skepticism about Treasure's good mood vanishing. It seemed, however annoyed or angry with him she was before, things were back to normal now. He rather liked how boundless her energy was invigorating rather than oppressive now that her mood had changed.

Laurel bounced up and whipped out her wand. "_Accio broomstick!" _she said, and Remus did the same. Treasure jogged over to the side of the field and opened the trunk that was there and took out a Quaffle and one of the two Bludgers.

"We're not gonna use the Snitch, 'cause Madam Hooch will kill us if we lose it, and we don't have a Seeker. And we'll only use one Bludger, because the two of them together might actually end up in murder," Treasure explained. Laurel expertly conjured up a Muggle golf ball and Charmed it so that it would zoom around the pitch and act as the Golden Snitch.

They began to play, Treasure and Sirius against Remus and Laurel. Treasure zoomed by, the self-proclaimed Seeker of their scrimmage game. She shrieked as she whizzed by, spiraling on her broom and clearly ecstatic to be flying again. Sirius sped to catch up to her.

"Bet I'm a better Seeker than you!" he teased. Treasure sped up and whipped around so she was facing him. She lowered herself down over the broomstick and shot forward, so that he had to roll over in the air to avoid being knocked off.

"You are supposed to be watching the goals," she said.

"Well, if we catch the Snitch, we'll win anyway." She glared at him and sped up again, looking for the Snitch.

He matched her speed, and she finally pulled back. "You are insufferable, Sirius Black!" she yelled after him, frustrated, and then hightailed it back to the goal posts to play Keeper. Remus had gone chasing after Sirius, trying to find the Snitch first. Laurel was facing Treasure, hovering with the Quaffle tucked safely under her arm.

She inched up and then let jets of speed propel her forward. Treasure zig-zagged back and forth, her eyes on the Quaffle. Laurel threw the ball as hard as she could, faking left then throwing right. Treasure anticipated this, and knocked the ball back to Laurel with the tail of her broom. Laurel caught the ball, and this time when she shot, it went in.

"Ten points!" she cried. "We're winning!" she called, but Remus and Sirius were in a dive, going after the golf ball that appeared to be losing some of its magic. "We must have been out here longer than I thought," Treasure murmured, amused. She had her broom hovering next to Laurel's both were watching the guys in a dive with rapt attention. Remus was pulling ahead, and then he shot up out of the dive with his fist closed over the Snitch.

"Got it!" he called. Laurel laughed happily and zoomed over. In mid-air, she leapt from her broom and onto his, reveling in the look of alarm that her boyfriend gave her. They were still at good thirty feet above the ground.

Treasure crossed her arms over her chest. "You should have caught that, Sirius," she growled. Sirius looked uneasy. Treasure shoved him playfully. "Just kidding, you git," she said.

They went back to where Remus and Laurel had been sitting. Remus picked up the blanket, and offered to hold Laurel's broom. Treasure couldn't help but utter an, "Awww," when she saw that, but Sirius had already taken her broom from her and was holding it with his over his shoulder.

"You don't act like a veela, you know," Treasure said thoughtfully. Laurel raised an eyebrow, her eyes were silver. "What are veelas supposed to act like then?" she asked. Treasure shrugged.

"Aloof, I've always heard. A bit cold," she said. Laurel cracked a smile. "Well, I'm only a quarter veela, I suppose, and you just described my mother, half the time," she said.

Then she added, "And my grandmother, all the time."

Treasure laughed as they headed back to Hogwarts to get some well-deserved breakfast.


	10. The Rumor Mill

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

"Halloween party?! We're gonna have a Halloween party?" Treasure asked excitedly.

"A Halloween _Ball_. Professor Dumbledore told us about it today at breakfast. _If_ you had been there, you would know. It's in about two weeks, and everyone has to have a costume!" Lily said.

"Oh, that's so exciting! We never had a Halloween party before. Kind of odd, considering we attend the school of witchcraft and wizardry. You'd think that Halloween would be bigger than Christmas around here," Treasure said. They were on their way to the library to catch up on homework, hurrying through the halls.

"It's not _so_ different," Lily said thoughtfully. "We always have the feast. Just, this time we have to get dressed up and dance. I think its exciting."

"Exciting! It's brilliant!" Treasure shouted eagerly.

"So, tell me, where'd you go so early in the morning?" Lily asked. Treasure shrugged.

"To the Forest," she said. Lily dropped her books. "You went to the forest?! Treasure, don't you know its dangerous in there?" she asked, stopping short.

"Whoa, watch it, Evans," James said, crashing into her. Lily whirled around.

"If you are the one who crashed into me, I think you're the one who should watch it, James," she said angrily. Treasure grinned, watching as James bent to help Lily pick up her books.

"Here you go, Evans, maybe you should get more sleep or something. You're really high-strung," he said. Treasure bit her cheek to keep from laughing at the furious look Lily threw at him.

"Well, that was nice of him," Treasure said.

"_Nice_ of him?! He almost bowls me over, expects _me_ to apologize and then insults me? I bet he only helped me pick up my books to try to look up my skirt or something!" Lily said disgustedly, smoothing down her skirt anxiously.

Treasure shrugged, "To each her own," she murmured.

"So what did you do in the…" Lily lowered her voice, "…in the forest anyway?" she asked. Treasure shrugged distractedly, "Nothing really, just walked a bit to let off some steam. Then Sirius and I - "

"_Sirius? _Sirius was there?!" Lily exclaimed, with a suggestive grin. Treasure bit her lip. "Well, he _followed _me. It wasn't like I asked him to come. Don't start getting ideas - you're nearly as bad as Violet. He said he saw me walking down to the Quidditch field, so he followed me - to _apologize_ - and he followed me into the forest. Apparently he was afraid I'd get hurt," Treasure said.

"That's sweet," Lily said.

"_Sweet_!" Treasure yelped, mimicking Lily's tone from just a moment before. "He humiliates and insults me one day, and the next he follows me around like some little lovesick stalker - that's not _sweet_, Lils!"

"Oh, do shut up, Treasure," Lily grumbled.

"Oh, come on Belle, don't tell me you think I'm stalking you," Sirius said, causing Treasure to turn around quickly with a gasp. "Well, now I do, don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?" she said, glaring at him. He grinned, nearly making Treasure's heart stop. _Idiot boy,_ she thought, frustrated.

"Well I'm not eavesdropping now, am I? I'm stalking," he said.

"Well, that is not only rude, but also illegal, now go away before I _make you_," she said half heartedly. _Go away, go away, go away before I do something incredibly stupid! _Lily regarded Treasure with a grin, as if she could read her best friend's thoughts. _Of course she cant, don't be so ridiculous,_ Treasure thought, ignoring her.

They made it to library without a homicide, Sirius walking along side Treasure once again. It was starting to make her uneasy, mostly because she felt thrilled, but she pushed the thought away. "Oh, and we played Quidditch. Remus and Laurel won, though," Treasure thought wistfully. "And only because my _stalker _decided to race _me_ for the Snitch, costing us valuable time," she said.

"I almost caught it!"

"Yes, well if you had let _me _fly after it, I _would _have caught it, and then _we _would have _won_," she answered, grinning.

"Remus? Laurel?" Lily asked.

"Laurel is Remus's, a-and my, er, our, friend," Treasure said, stammering a bit. She wasn't sure if Remus wanted everyone to know about Laurel; after all, he didn't even tell his closest friends.

"So what's this about a Halloween dance?" Sirius asked, sitting next to Treasure as usual. Treasure decided not to notice this and wondered instead if it was necessary to have a date to the dance.

"It's not a dance, it's a _Ball_," Lily said.

"Oh, well excuse me…"

"Yeah, Lils, so what about this Ball?" Treasure prodded. "Well, Professor Dumbledore said that everyone has to have a costume, and that whoever wears a uniform shall have a detention! Can you believe that?" she said.

"So, costumes are mandatory then?" Treasure asked excitedly.

"Dumbledore says its to show school spirit and solidarity."

"Excellent!" Treasure beamed.

"You mean we have to get all dressed up?" Sirius moaned.

"Hey, Evans, Belle, Padfoot, what are you doing here? Feeling quite boring today?" James asked, sauntering in lazily. Madam Pince clucked her tongue loudly.

"Excuse me, Madam Pince, but this is a library. It's supposed to be quiet," James said cheekily. Treasure snorted and Sirius barked a laugh, but Lily looked unimpressed. Treasure could see right through her friend, and how the corners of her mouth were lifted up ever so slightly. Treasure wouldn't push it, but she reckoned that Lily was really quite fond of James underneath it all.

"James, could you _please_ tell 'Padfoot' to stop following me around. It'd be easier to get rid of a little starving puppy dog," Treasure said, and wondered at the rather significant look that passed between James and Sirius. James shrugged.

"He fancies you, my dear. What would you like me to do about it?" Treasure glanced at Sirius, hoping to see him flustered, but to no avail. She stared nonchalantly, and was annoyed to see how he copied her expression perfectly. Now that their initial awkwardness was passed, it seemed that Sirius had resolved to be the very picture of Pureblood haughtiness and pride. Treasure wanted dearly to ruffle his feathers and bring back that slightly awkward Sirius that she had glimpsed in the Forbidden Forest.

"Sirius, what's this, you're stalking the girl now? Don't you know that wont work?" another voice said, and they all looked around to see Remus and Laurel enter, holding hands. Treasure smiled, almost wistfully. There were times when she would admit to herself that it would be nice to have a boyfriend. She'd had one over the summer back in the States, and it had been going well, but she had broken it off when she went back to school. She didn't want to tie him down, and didn't want to be tied down in return.

she said, _but that would be just awful. And I wouldn't know if he did anything either, and that would be worse,_ Treasure thought with a smile, looking up at saying hello to Laurel. Remus and his girlfriend sat down next to James, who was sitting next to Lily, who was sitting across from Treasure, who was sitting next to Sirius and was at the end of the table. That said, the group started to chat excitedly about the upcoming Ball. 

"So, what is this about some Halloween dance?" Remus asked. Laurel glared at him. "It isn't 'just some dance'," she said loudly.

"Shh!" the librarian said, looking up from a huge leather bound book entitled _How To Be Lusted After When You're Not At All Lustrous, a Collection of Beauty Charms and Love Spells_. Unfortunately, she was about forty five, looked about sixty, had huge glasses and graying hair that was held back in a tight bun. "It's a _Ball,_" she informed him, and Remus nodded slowly, as if afraid to make any sudden movements.

They were now only missing the last member of the Marauders, who arrived slightly out of breath, his thin blond hair sweaty and sticking to his forehead, his face flushed.

"Did you hear? They're going to have a bloody _dance,_" Peter Pettigrew said.

"IT'S NOT A DANCE!" all three girls bellowed.

"Good Heavens, if you can not keep your voices down, then I must insist that you leave. All of you! Now do shut up, I am trying to read, like one would assume would be done in a library!" Madam Pince said, highly agitated.

"It's not a bloody dance, it's a _Ball_," Treasure hissed.

"Just back away, mate, slowly," Sirius advised.

"So, what are you going to come as, Treasure?" Laurel asked, shooting a glare at Sirius, who grinned back.

"Maybe a veela," Lily said, "So Sirius will stare at you, eh, Treasure?" she said, noticing how her friend was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest.

Treasure looked traumatized. "Now why would I want that Lillania, _dear_?" she asked, warning Lily silently that if she said _anything_ at all, she would be so very dead so very fast. Not that there was anything to say. While Sirius might have resolved to follow her around all day, sniffing around her skirts like some dumb beast, didn't mean that Treasure felt any similar sentiments.

Lily shrugged, "Dunno," she said, smiling in the most irritating way. Treasure bit her lip and promised herself that in the future she wouldn't give Lily such a hard time about James. Clearly it wasn't worth it.

"Why don't you come as a pirate with me?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"A pirate?" Treasure said skeptically. Sirius grinned, draping an arm around her shoulders, to Treasure's utter dismay, Lily's utter amusement, and everyone else's utter shock.

"Yeah, and then you could be my wench," he said, as calmly as if he was discussing the weather. Lily wondered if he even knew that he was an inch from death.

"Sirius?" Treasure asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you particularly favor that arm?"

"Yeah, its my wand arm…"

"Then I suggest you move it," Treasure said flatly, James, Remus, Lily, Laurel and Peter all burst out laughing, quieting down when they heard Madam Pince snap her book shut.

"You wouldn't do anything, Tres, not with Quidditch coming up the first week in November," Sirius said. Treasure raised an eyebrow, he was taking far to many liberties with her, perhaps she should have stayed mad at him longer.

"Try me," she said dangerously, and he decided not to, taking his arm away from around her shoulders. "What about you Lily? Laurel? What are you coming as?" Treasure asked. Lily looked thoughtful, but Laurel already knew her answer.

"A veela," she said. Treasure looked confused.

"But you already are a veela," she said.

Laurel shook her head, "No, I'm am only a quarter veela, and I don't wear the veela garb," she explained.

"What's the veela garb?" Remus asked interestedly.

"It's a surprise." Sirius wolf-whistled and James hooted but Laurel only gave a small smile, and remained unruffled. _Now there's talent_, Treasure thought.

"Lils?" Treasure asked.

"I have no bloody idea!" Lily answered frantically.

"I think you should come as…a siren. One of the tropical sirens, like the ones Odysseus studied…" Treasure suggested. Lily bit her lip thoughtfully.

"I agree," James said heartily and immediately.

"You only agree because the sirens didn't wear clothes, Prongs," Sirius said. Lily turned a delicate shade of pink, and her eyes flashed. Treasure bit back a laugh.

"Also true," James acknowledged, risking a wink in Lily's direction. Lily responded with the best impression of a basilisk that Treasure had ever seen, and James wisely turned back to Sirius. "That Odysseus was a wise wizard, mate. Imagine just deciding to go off to 'study' the sirens?"

"I'm sure he learned loads, Prongs," Sirius said sarcastically.

"Yeah," James responded dreamily. Treasure rolled her eyes.

"It's still two whole weeks away…" Laurel said, clearly oblivious to the current conversation and thinking instead of her "veela garb." The group was silent for a while, and turned around when they heard two more people walk into the library.

"A bloody dance. It's foolish," third year Regulus Black muttered. He was accompanied by Bellatrix, a fifth year, and Narcissa Black, in her seventh year.

"ITS NOT A BLOODY DANCE, IT'S A BALL!!!" everyone at the table, including the boys, all shouted.

"Good God, Reg, don't you know anything?" Sirius asked, a mocking smile on his lips. Treasure's neck prickled - she knew that Sirius wasn't on good terms with his family, which was made up of the oldest line of Purebloods in the wizarding world. They were nearly as narrow-minded as their family tree was famous, which was saying something. All the same, Treasure didn't want to be caught in the middle of a messy family feud - she didn't trust Regulus, but she liked the looks of Narcissa and Bellatrix Black even less. Regulus glared at his brother. Narcissa's eyes ticked over to Lily and Treasure, and finally to Laurel.

"What a mess Hogwarts is turning into. First it's the Mudbloods, then it's the Americans, and finally it's _veelas? _She's not even human!" Narcissa said nastily, nodding towards Laurel.

"What's next, werewolves? Vampires? Giants?" Bellatrix asked with just as much venom in her voice. Madam Pince said nothing, she didn't even look up from the book she was reading. Treasure couldn't help but notice how Remus stiffened when Eva said 'werewolves' or how Laurel grabbed his hand, or how James and Sirius and even Peter stiffened and all had the same looks of fury on their faces. Lily noticed it too.

"And what are you going to be for Halloween, Evans? Pureblood?" Narcissa asked, a cold smile twisting her pretty face. Bellatrix laughed cruelly as Lily blushed. Treasure stood up angrily. "It all depends on what you're gonna be, _Cissy_. Decent? Likeable?" Treasure sneered.

Bellatrix stepped forward. "You better watch that fat mouth of yours, Belle," she said dangerously.

Treasure rolled her eyes. "Or what, Black? We'll duel? Because you must know that if I crossed wands with your ugly hide, there wouldn't be enough of you left to make the mist in a Remembrall," she taunted.

"Big words, Belle. I wonder how long you'll be able to hide behind them," Bellatrix seethed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know? A change is coming - it's been a long time coming - and all you blood traitors are going to regret your treason. Stick close to your little Mudblood friend, Belle, she'll need all the help she can get!" There was something more than mere cruelty in Bellatrix Black's dark eyes. Treasure wanted to shudder, but repressed it.

"That's enough!" Lily said harshly, her face flushed and angry.

"Shut your mouth, Mudblood. I'd curse you even sooner than I would Belle!" Bellatrix said haughtily.

"I'd like to see you prove that," Sirius snapped, pulling out his wand. Treasure could hardly believe her ears, or eyes.

"Would you now, big cousin Sirius? Even though you know how _very_ angry your Mummy would be?" Bellatrix simpered in a baby voice.

"Sirius, just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" Treasure snapped, also brandishing her wand and moving slightly in front of Lily. James stood up too; so did Laurel, and Remus.

"Aww, look, you're her knight. Mother would be so _proud_," Regulus leered sarcastically at his brother who, not to be upstaged, had placed himself in front of Treasure. _Oh, of all the ridiculous acts of bravado.._. Treasure felt the color rise to her face, knowing that the Slytherin wouldn't waste any time spreading rumors. And the last thing that Treasure needed was more rumors.

But Regulus saw that he was vastly outnumbered and Narcissa put a calming white hand on her sister's shoulder. Apparently whatever threat was coming, it wasn't worth a detention in her book.

"This isn't over," Bellatrix said, glaring at Sirius and Treasure. Treasure raised her chin at Bellatrix and didn't say a word, but rather tried to perfect the look of utter boredom that Sirius was so adept at assuming.

"What was that all about?" Laurel asked, as the Slytherins left and a sense of fractured peace settled on the group once more.

"My family is barking mad, that's all," Sirius said angrily, and he remained moodily quiet for a long time. His disposition only improved when Treasure laid a companionate hand on his arm and tried to entice him back into the conversation. If Lily hadn't been so troubled about the prior interruption, she would have shot Treasure an irritatingly knowing look.

The group of seven sat back down and continued talking about the Ball as if nothing had happened, but the amiable and excited mood never returned precisely as it had been before.


	11. The Halloween Ball

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

The two weeks until the ball passed surprisingly fast, and students were rushing everywhere to put together their costumes. Lily and Treasure were finally dismissed from their last class at five o' clock, and rushed to the kitchens to grab a bite to eat before dashing up to the Common Room to get ready.

"Oh, Treasure, why did you force me into wearing this costume? Its so…revealing," Lily said nervously, tugging at the fabric of her skirt.

"Lils, you look amazing!"

"No, I look like - like -"

"Exactly like a siren. Dumbledore would be pleased - he said that our costumes should be authentic."

"I'm_ quite sure_ that he didn't mean this authentic!" Lily moaned, tossing herself on the bed. Isabelle and Violet had left early and went to the Ravenclaw Common Room to prepare. Isabelle's sister, Jezebelle, was there.

"Well don't feel too bad, I'm just as bad," Treasure said sarcastically, her hands on her hips. Lily grinned. "I still cant believe that you decided to wear that," she said.

Treasure pouted. "Yes, well it happened to be a very good suggestion. Now, what are you going to wear if you are not gonna wear what you're wearing?" she asked. Lily blinked. "I mean, what alternative costume do you have?" Treasure said, exasperated.

"I haven't got one!" Lily cried.

"Hmm…I have an idea!" Treasure hurried over to the coat rack on which Lily had hung her cloak. Pulling the cloak down and examining it for a moment, she suddenly tossed it in the air and, with a firm wrist movement, transfigured the cloak into a trench coat. "Voila!" she said proudly.

"And what am I supposed to do with this?" Lily asked, holding up the trench coat dubiously. Treasure rolled her eyes. "Wear it, obviously."

"And what am I supposed to be?" Lily asked.

"Honestly, Lily, you're the Muggle-born one here. You're a detective, obviously. Here-" Treasure grabbed Lily's hat from the coat rack and with the same wrist movement, transfigured the hat into a fedora. To finish off the outfit, she Conjured up a pair of fancy black boots and dark sunglasses.

"Perfect."

"Tres, I really don't think its going to fly…"

"Well, fine then, Lils. Go in your uniform and get a detention." Treasure hurried over to the full length mirror that the girls shared, and carefully arranged her long hair - usually so unruly but now pin-straight and sleek - so that it hung precisely over each shoulder and covered her scandalously sheer dress. Lily, Laurel, and Treasure had decided to work on their costumes together and to go, respectively, as a siren, veela and succubus. The costumes had required hours of careful research in the library, which Lily's status as Prefect had allotted them, as well as access to the Restricted Section of the Library. James and Sirius had, at first, been most eager to help (mostly because they wanted to look through all the illustrations in the books that the girls had borrowed) but a few well-placed jinxes of Lily's doing, surprisingly, and not Treasure's, had sent them not-so-merrily on their way.

Treasure's costume was the easiest because it required less work. The Darkest of the three creatures, the succubus was a dream-prowler that relied on her physical charms - and her own peculiar kind of magic that stemmed from man's helplessness to lust and sensuality - to invade her victim's dreams and slowly leach the magic from him. It took a wizard of the strongest calibre to avoid a succubus' lure, something which Treasure found highly amusing. Her costume was a simple dress of off-white satin that hung off her shoulders and was drawn at her waist with a thin gold sash. It's appeal was in its suggestion rather than display, but all the same Treasure felt slightly uncomfortable. She conjured up a silvery mist that would hang about her body and obscure her features, giving her the appearance of a succubus as it visited in dreams.

"Tres, you really look fabulous," Lily said, impressed with the tricky little charm Treasure had managed to master in time for the Ball.

"As do you, Lily," Treasure said happily, flouncing from the room. Lily smiled - the seductive visage of the succubus would be ruined quite thoroughly as Treasure's playful nature seeped through even the most skillfully conjured mist.

* * *

Sirius pulled on his bandana and hat, and studied himself in the mirror. James was already at the door, "Would you mind hurrying up, Sirius, you git. Treasure'll never see you if you stare at yourself in the mirror all evening," he said, annoyed. Sirius glared at him.

"For you information, I don't care about what she thinks anymore. She's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't give a damn about me, so I gave up," Sirius said

"Padfoot, my friend, you've never given up on anything in your life. Now, while Peter may have been thick enough to fall for that, I am not. Remember, I knew you fancied the chit before _you_ even knew it," James said. Sirius said nothing, and pushed past him angrily, coming face to face with the very subject that had him so brassed off to begin with.

Sirius felt his jaw drop as he stepped back from Treasure.

"Hi," she said, fixing the top of her dress. She looked up when he failed to make a sound. "Hi?" she asked. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, and he started and looked at her sheepishly. She raised an eyebrow.

"Right, well, I'm just going to leave now before you space out again," she said sarcastically, turning away. James was behind Sirius, watching this all with glee.

"Wait," Sirius said, and Treasure turned around. She had one hand on her hip, looking rather annoyed. "Let me walk you down stairs," he muttered, looking utterly embarrassed. Treasure grinned, finally seeing a bit of the Sirius who had met her in the forest. He didn't look quite so awkward this time, but her costume certainly did catch him off guard. She thought quickly of the way succubae were supposed to walk…they floated, really, and legend had it that the mere walk of a succubus could bring a man to his knees. Treasure didn't really want Sirius to be falling over himself all night, but it would be nice to keep his usual haughty countenance at bay for awhile - she really did like it so much when he let his guard down.

Sirius, though, looked amused. As soon as Treasure got it into her head that she would have to walk the walk, so to speak, it became painfully obvious that she was acting. Sirius chuckled to himself, which he covered quickly with a cough at the pointed look Treasure gave him. She shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably, aware that for whatever reason he was laughing at her.

"May I?" Sirius asked politely, offering his arm. With his dark eyes and wavy dark hair, he was kind of the embodiment of tall, dark and handsome. And Treasure found herself wondering what it would be like to _really_ kiss him - not just for some prank, but for real. It was enough to make any succubus flustered.

"Sure," she said, tossing her hair and then instantly wishing she didn't. The dress was really not made for such movement - or, on the contrary, it was too well made for such movement. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought that Sirius's eyes crossed. She patted her hair nervously back into place . He held out his arm and Treasure bit her lip before linking arms with him. Friendly, nothing more. She was terribly worried that it would look like she and Sirius were an item. And Treasure just might have to murder herself it that rumor got around, because she would surely never hear the end of it.

Sirius, having found his characteristically calm demeanor, led Treasure out of the Common Room. Treasure was very uncharacteristically nervous. She decided that the goose pimples on her skin were caused by the drafts in the castle more than anything else.

* * *

Lily looked at herself nervously in the mirror once more, before firmly pulling the cloak-turned-trench coat on. Next came that hat, followed by the glasses. Her hair spilled in waves of deep, rich red halfway down her back. She sighed, wishing she was a bit braver. Her dress was sea-foam green and very pretty, but the skirt was made of thin panels of silk and showed entirely too much skin. Her sandals were made of seashells - but she had opted for the boots instead - as was the rest of her jewelry. There were large cut-outs at the side of her dress showing even more pale, ivory skin. She turned resolutely and walked out the door, to the Common Room, tying the trench coat closed.

"Whoa, Evans, is that you under all that? I wouldn't have known!" James lied, as soon as she walked out. Of course he knew it was her, all the other Gryffindor fifth years had left, and he was left alone among the fifth year boys, waiting for Lily. But Lily didn't know that.

"Shut up, Potter," she said miserably, shuffling past him. "Hey, I think it's a great costume," he said. Lily gritted her teeth and kept walking, glad that her eyes were hidden beneath the ridiculously large sunglasses that Treasure had conjured up for her.

"No, really, it is -" he started. She whirled on him, whipping off the sunglasses to glare at him fully. It would have been more effective if it weren't for the fact that the thing about Lily that James liked to look at most was her eyes.

"Don't bother me, Potter. I know you were expecting some revealing little number from all those pictures you and your sick friends drooled over for the past two weeks, but you're not going to get it from me!" she said angrily.

"I wasn't expecting to, Evans. Calm down. You really do look nice," he said, shrugging and heading out of the portrait. Lily cursed under her breath and followed him as carefully as she could without letting the trench coat fall open. The figures in the portraits all along the walls whistled at her, and it wasn't until she passed a mirror that she realized it didn't look like she was wearing much underneath her make-shift costume.

"Damn you, Treasure!"

* * *

Laurel was already at the Ball, wearing a lavender dress with an empire waist and gauzy see-through sleeves. The dress was, of course, down to the floor and would have been quite conservative but for the low cut neck line. It was plain, but radiant in its lack of being ostentatious. Laurel, light blonde hair, so blonde it glowed nearly silver, was braided elegantly down her back.

Laurel wore no make up, as veelas wore none, and her dress was wispy silver underneath pale lavender silk. She had soft slippers that didn't show, as the dress was so long. She stood next to Remus, who had an arm around her waist a bit protectively, scowling at any male who looked at Laurel. Laurel herself found this infinitely amusing, even more so when girls shot her dirty looks and smacked their dates. Sometimes being part veela had its perks.

Remus was dressed as an Elf, having no idea of what to come as, he let Laurel decide for him. He was wearing leggings and a tunic that at first glance seemed less than extraordinary, but if one looked closer, saw intricate embroidery. Of course, no one scrutinized too much, or at least they didn't do it obviously. But it was obvious that this would be the couple most looked at, envied, and admired this night.

Laurel spotted Treasure walk in, arms linked with Sirius who was dressed as a pirate. Treasure looked around nervously, but relaxed when she saw that no one was looking particularly at her. She spotted Laurel and grinned, practically dragging Sirius over.

"The Hall looks absolutely beautiful!" she said excitedly.

"Yes, the pumpkins are huge! They practically have bon fires in them! And of course, the ghosts will be putting on a show, and I've heard that Dumbledore hired pixies!" Laurel said.

"Hired?" Sirius asked, and Treasure tried to pull her arm away without being quite overt. Sirius saw this and let go, "You could have just asked," he said quietly. Treasure felt her face heat, and she thought that perhaps Lily tied the gold sash around her waist too tightly.

"Of course hired!" Laurel said, changing the subject hastily. "What, do you think they are slaves? Although they are little sprites, non-human, they are still in charge of what they do and where they go. It is only cruel, heartless beings who capture others and force them to do their will," she said angrily. The subject of non-humans, even hostile ones like vampires, being treated unfairly, made her very worked up.

"You should know that, Sirius," Remus remarked quietly, looking his friend dead in the eye. Treasure looked puzzled, but Laurel leaned closer to Remus and he tightened his grip on her. Treasure cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Everyone looks wonderful, don't they?" she said.

Isabelle was dressed as a fairy in a short white dress that had a circumference of at least five feet around. Violet, a banshee, was dressed surprisingly similar to Treasure herself, although with an unsettling tinge of green. Ilenya looked pretty dressed as an archer. Bellatrix had decided to come dressed as Dementor.

"My cousin is mental," Sirius said dryly. Laurel snorted into her punch.

Luckily, Lily walked in at that moment, followed quickly by James, who was still staring.

"Lily!" Treasure said, relieved. Lily smiled, still dressed in the trench coat.

"So you are a…" Laurel prompted. "Old fashioned detective," Lily said happily. Suddenly, she grinned and pulled apart the lapels of her trench coat. "Or a siren undercover!"

"You better cover that up, Lils, here comes James!" Treasure teased. Lily scowled and disappeared off into the crowd in search of Severus, who had said he would come dressed as a vampire and had offered his protection from James Potter, in case she needed it. Lily assured him she didn't, but it would be nice to be around a boy who wasn't as intent on groping her as Potter was.

"Ahem, students, ghosts, goblins, vampires, pirates…succubae…pixies, fairys, veela, and others in all sorts of odd attire, the Ball is about to begin." Professor Dumbledore said, standing as silence overtook the Hall. "Tonight, those of you who are dressed as monsters are only physically what you really are and tonight you are being given the chance to express that. I, on the behalf of all my colleagues, only ask that you do not tear down the castle as you celebrate our Halloween _Ball_, commencing…now," Professor Dumbledore said, and the music began to play. The Ball had begun.


	12. The Dangers of Mistle Toe

Title: The Extreme Dangers of Mistle Toe

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think _____ would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Well, its Christmas time! And of course there is mistle toe in Hogwarts. Toss in a few hormonal teenagers, add a pinch the total stupidity of boys, flavor lightly with the giddy-ness of girls, and boil under high flames of gossip. Stir, repeat. Makes a chapter of ultimate plotless-ness.

Author's Note: Ah, I am back from camping. I forgot what a key board feels like. But, lucky you, I have tons of inspiration and no more writers block. And also coffee at ten o clock at night.

* This story I am going to dedicate to Laura (el) because she loves it so much, and she was my cure for writer's block. Laurel, my muse! LOL, happy reading - R&R please.

~*~

The ball, as it turned out, had been incredibly successful. In fact, students were still talking about it well into December. 

Quidditch season had started, and the Gryffindor team had been holding practice four nights a week. Although they had been champions since before Lily and Treasure had come to Hogwarts, the Captain, a seven year named Jason Ether, was determined to work his team into the ground (or rather, the mud, as the weather had been increasingly nasty as of late,).

The first match was Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor had won narrowly by some skillful flying on James's part. The winners had gone on to play Hufflepuff, who had surprisingly slaughtered Slytherin three days before. Treasure took every opportunity she could get to remind Eva of this. Eva was the Keeper for Slytherin, and had done fantastically bad. Laurel practically pranced with glee every time Eva came her way.

And so scheduled after Christmas break, Hufflepuff would play Gryffindor as the last of the first round of tournaments. Sirius had taken to teasing Remus about where his loyalties would lie now that he was dating Laurel, the Hufflepuff Chaser/Keeper.

"Holidays are nearly here!" Lily said happily one morning, while munching on a slice of French toast. Treasure sighed, "And they cant come too bloody fast either, we are going to have loads of homework, and I can barely keep up as it is!" she moaned. Sirius and James nodded sympathetically, although all were very good students (even Treasure) the workload was huge, due to the upcoming O.W.L.s. It didn't help that the Quidditch practice and game schedule was insane as well.

Lily, however, pursed her lips. Since the Ball, Treasure and Sirius seemed to have grown noticeably closer, (Quidditch was no help) and this resulted in Lily having to hang out with James and the Marauders more and more often. Lily wouldn't have minded if James magically made himself disappear, or at leased ceased his obvious attempts of impressing her; he flirted shamelessly and showed off incessantly, never seeming to tire of splitting open the bags of helpless first years, or Levitating hats and books from thirds years. 

James was arrogant, and showing of was deemed mostly by strutting around and jinxing others without warning, for the sheer fact that he could. More often than not his victim was Severus Snape who, try as he might, could never fully wreak his revenge.

Lily mentioned this to Treasure, who shrugged. "Boys are just idiots like that," she said. "I suppose they find it amusing. Morons, the lot of them," she explained, uninterested. "Just ignore him, maybe then he'll get it through his fat head that you don't care,"

"But I _have been ignoring him,_" Lily said angrily. Treasure sighed again, "Maybe you should just hex him and get it over with," she suggested. Lily groaned, Treasure was no help. "That's what I would do," Treasure said, shrugging again. Lily smiled ironically, "And why would I do what you would?" she asked. Treasure glared at her, and they let the subject of James drop for a while. 

Remus and Laurel were now an official recognized item, and so Laurel was often among Lily and Treasure. In fact, they were so often together that Sirius had started calling them the Marauder's Groupies. He stopped when Treasure threatened to Curse him.

Laurel, Lily, and Treasure were all sitting in the library one rainy December afternoon, trying to get through (or at least make a dent in) the ton of homework they'd been given. It was December the twentieth, the last day before the break. Treasure sighed wearily, having just finished her Potions homework. "And I actually put some effort into it, seeing as how Athach hates me, and exams are coming up all too fast," she muttered darkly.

"Well, if you'd done that all year, you wouldn't have a problem now would you?" Lily said. Treasure ignored her, pulling out more parchment and starting her essay for Divination. She scribbled, "Tea Leaves for Dummies, and Those Who Do Not Possess Sight In Their Inner Eye, and Are Otherwise Looking For Mystical Contact Lenses". "_For…all…of you whose…inner eye has…less than 20/20 vision…_" Treasure started, rolling her eyes. Laurel snorted.

"Treasure, is this _all_ your Tranfig homework?" she asked incredulously. Treasure nodded. "Yup, and I finished Potions and those sketches for Care of Magical Creatures too," she said proudly. Lily's mouth fell open. "Are you aiming for a Prefect badge?" she asked.

"What? No," Treasure said disgustedly, grinning at the affronted look on Lily's face. "I just don't want to have to work over the break," she said. They worked in silence for a while until Laurel slammed the book she was reading closed with a snap; Lily and Treasure jumped.

"What?" Treasure said, recovering from near heart failure. "I can't concentrate! Too much is going on!" Laurel moaned. "Such as?" Lily prompted dully. Laurel rolled her eyes, "Such as vacation starts tomorrow, trips to Hogsmeade, the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match, and the Ball!" Laurel said.

"Another Ball?" Treasure asked dumbly. Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"The Ball was almost two months ago!" she said.

"I know! But was it not the best experience of your life?" Laurel asked, tossing her silvery hair, her eyes changing rapidly from green to silver and back again. 

"Actually, yeah, it was one of the higher points in my life," Treasure said, warming to the subject. "That's because Sirius dances with you the whole night," Lily said smugly.

Treasure had the nerve to look bored, "No he didn't," she said, turning back to her homework. When there was no smart reply, Treasure looked up, looking a bit harassed. "What?" she said irritably.

Laurel and Lily were wearing identical infuriating complacent grins. "What?!" Treasure yelped, earning a stern glare from Madam Pince, the librarian, who had recently succumbed to getting a name tag.

"You know," Laurel said slowly, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Sirius didn't really dance with everyone else," Treasure bit her lips. "Anyone else," Lily said helpfully. Treasure rolled her eyes, "Your point?"

"And," Laurel said, "He glared daggers when you danced with Ramon and Dylan, and Jason, and even James," she said. "You little wench," Lily teased, who had become a bit more laid back since the Ball. 

Treasure said nothing, just looked down, her dark hair falling like a curtain in front of her face as she scribbled more of her Divination essay. 

"He is so whipped," Laurel said finally, yawning widely. Treasure head shot up at that, her cheeks tinged pink and her eyes bright. Her lips were twitching as if she was trying very hard not to grin. 

"Don't say that," she said, aiming for reproachful. Laurel and Lily shrugged, each getting back to their homework. Neither the blonde nor the red head spoke again, for which the brunette was extremely grateful. As for Madam Pince, she looked up from _Anti-Aging Spells Volume II,_ as it had never been quite so quiet in the library before.

~*~

Christmas dawned early the next morning; James and Sirius woke early, and scrambled to the foot of their respective beds, digging through the loot of gifts. It was the second night of the full moon that month, and Remus was still in the Shack under the Whomping Willow. He wouldn't be back until late in the day; and the Marauders would have their own Christmas party that night in the forms of their different animals.

Sirius scanned hastily through his pile of presents, and looked a bit crestfallen. "Nothing from her, mate?" James asked. Sirius knew full well who his best friend was referring to.

"Wasn't expecting anything anyway," Sirius said. James chuckled, "Me neither," he said. Sirius tossed _A Purebloods Guide To Avoiding Muggle Borns and Halfbreeds_ (a "gift" from his family) at James, who picked it up and flipped through it in revulsion. "This rubbish is from your mum, I expect," James said. Sirius glared at the book.

"Chuck it into the fire," he said disgustedly. James complied, and Sirius glared still as the book was consumed by the flames. They went back to opening gifts. Sirius had given James a box of Filibuster Fireworks, and a tiny model of a Quidditch field that had two complete teams. James gave Sirius a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a book on Beater techniques. They were comparing so loudly that Peter's snores ceased and he went through his gifts with them, until it was time for Christmas brunch.

~*~

Lily woke up first in the Fifth Year girls dormitory, throwing a pillow on Treasure, who sat up cursing. "Merry Christmas to you too," Lily snapped. Treasure's eyes brightened as she dove to the foot of her bed, nearly falling off in her excitement.

"Presents!" she cried joyfully, ripping into her pile. Lily did very much the same, with gusto. Treasure looked at the book _Jinxes and Counter-jinxes, A Book for the Dueling Witch_. "I thought you didn't want me to duel," Treasure said. Lily grinned and opened her gift from Treasure. 

"Oh, Tres," she said breathlessly. Treasure had given her the complete leather bound set of _Charms_, all three volumes, first edition. In it contained all the charms currently in existence. Treasure knew that Lily had been longing for this book ever since she had come to Hogwarts, and it had taken Treasure nearly that long to save up for it.

"How did you afford this?" Lily asked.

"Well, now you know why all your other Christmas gifts were so crappy," she said.

Suddenly Laurel burst into the dorm, careening into Treasure's bed and nearly flipping over. "Graceful," Lily remarked. Treasure nodded, "Very veela-ish," she quipped. Laurel glared. "Merry Christmas," she said sarcastically. Treasure held up her hands innocently, "Every body says that to me like they want to kill me afterwards," she said.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked.

"The Hufflepuffians are boring," explained Laurel with a grin, tearing into her gifts. Lily gave her a tiny locket, identical to the one that she and Treasure had. Treasure, whose gift was also the locket, also gave Laurel an assortment of colored hair nets.

"Its for the Quidditch match, so your long blonde hair doesn't blind you or something," Treasure explained. She held up a packet of her own. "I have them too!" she said triumphantly.

"Hey, what's this?" Laurel asked, tossing Treasure a tiny box made of dark wood. Treasure looked confused, "Are you sure its not yours?" she asked Laurel. Laurel shook her head, holding up her wrist and showing her friends a charm bracelet with the phases of the moon. "Its from Remus," she said happily. Lily cooed, drawing closer to inspect the jewelry and showing Laurel the earrings that James had given her (while pretending not to care, but Laurel and Treasure saw through that faster than a speeding Bludger), while Treasure studied the tiny box in her hand.

"It says T.B. on the box," Lily said, pointing to the intricate engravings. Treasure felt her heart start to pound in her ears as she opened the box. Inside was an old looking necklace with a "T" hanging, made of tiny aqua colored gems. Treasure gasped, it was beautiful and most likely very, very expensive, if not a family heirloom. Laurel and Lily sighed, "He must really like you," Laurel said.

"Who?" Treasure asked automatically, though she knew who they were talking about.

"Don't be stupid, Treasure!" Lily practically screamed. "Besides, look, there's a note! It probably says who its from," Laurel said, trying hard not to laugh at the look of extreme frustration on Lily's face.

Treasure picked up the not and turned it over. All it said was _-S._

~*~

"Didja get my gift?" Laurel asked excitedly, running up to Remus as he came down the stairs from the Gryffindor Common Room, headed to the Great Hall. Remus put an arm about Laurel's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek, saying "Merry Christmas" very quietly in her ear. She glowed.

"Didja like my gift?" she asked, her cheeks flushed with pink. He nodded, "Yes, but I didn't expect to be wriggling around so much. I just go to see it now," he said. She had bought him a niffler, a tiny black puppy shaped creature that was really good at finding shiny objects. When she bought it, it tried to attack her hair

Laurel's face clouded over, "How was last night?" she asked quietly, seeing how tired Remus seemed this morning. He sighed wearily, "The usual," he said, a bit depressed. Laurel drew closer to him and as he turned to her she kissed him full on the lips. He smiled, and neither were aware of how Lily, Treasure, Sirius, James, Peter, and the rest of the students heading to the Great Hall all smiled a bit.

Laurel returned his smile, and pointed up. "Mistle toe," she whispered, oblivious to the stares of their fellow students as they headed to the Great Hall for the Christmas brunch feast.

~*~

"Sirius, wait!" Treasure called, leaning on the banister that was sculpted in the shape of the Hogwarts crest. He paused, and she walked up to him. She pulled the necklace out of her robes, where she was wearing it. "Was this…from you?" she asked, a bit awkwardly. She took a deep breath and held it, trying to figure out a reason for why she was so nervous that wasn't because she actually _liked _Sirius. Seriously _liked_ him. Because she didn't. Right?

She was so busy trying to figure out why she felt like throwing up and laughing at the same time (not a particularly attractive combination to be sure), that she nearly missed his answer. "Yeah, it was from me…its been in the family. When I found it, I thought of you…so it's yours," he said. Treasure cocked her head to the side, "But wont your mum be angry?" she asked. Sirius laughed, "She's always angry anyway, makes no difference," he said bitterly.

Treasure did quite know what to say. "Thank you," she mumbled quietly, looking down, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Sirius smiled and turned to go to the Great Hall. He walked a few step but Treasure, on sudden impulse, grabbed his arm. There was no one left by the staircase.

Treasure looked up, Sirius followed her gaze. He when he looked back, she was staring with a hard to read expression on her face. Suddenly she leaned up and kissed him softly, and very quickly, on the lips.

"Mistle toe," she said, smiling a little, hurrying into the Great Hall.

~*~

"What took you so long?" Laurel complained, sitting next to Remus and stealing food from him. He looked at her oddly, "You know, there _is_ enough food for you too," he said. She shrugged, and turned back to Treasure. "Well?" she asked. Treasure flushed, "I was just saying thanks for the necklace," she muttered.

Lily stared at her best friend for a long moment. Treasure grew pinker. "WHAT?!" she yelped. Lily and Laurel grinned. Treasure felt like she was going to collapse, or explode. "STOP! What are you looking at?" she bellowed, drawing the gaze of many students. She glared at them. "Mind your own damn business," she snapped to a group of first years, who looked terrified and looked away quickly. Treasure sighed.

"You need to calm down," James informed her. Treasure looked as if she was going to attack him, so he backed away nearly on top of Lily. "Geroff' you big lug," Lily squealed. James grinned and pulled out his wand out from behind his back, and conjured up (what else?) some mistle toe.

"Look up, Evans," he said. Lily glared evilly at him, and looked up; she paled when she realized what he had done. "You cheated," she snarled at him. James shrugged, "C'mon Evans, just one kiss," he said. Treasure and Laurel were watching avidly, Remus looked amused and Peter was sniggering uncontrollably.

"Aww, go on Lils, just give 'im a kiss," Treasure crowed. Laurel nodded. Lily looked like a deer caught in headlights. She shook her head, her long red hair whipping unsuspecting students in the face.

Something seemed to push Lily forward, into James. The ice pixies that were decorating the room were behind her shoved her forward a bit, where she toppled unceremoniously into James, who kissed her. Treasure and Laurel cheered.

Lily yanked herself away and glared sourly at them, her entire face flushed pink. James was grinning stupidly, rumpling his hair so it stood up. Sirius sat down in the space that had been made by the pixies, and caught Treasure's eye with a smile. She flushed and smiled back. Remus and Laurel were talking quietly amongst themselves now.

Lily took out her wand and lit the mistle toe on fire.

~*~

A/N: What didja think? R&R please!!!

Laura(el): I am so sorry school started for you. I'll try to update every day, just for you! Blegh…school starts for me in…15 days. Highschool! The horror! The utter torment! Gah! *faints*


	13. Valentine's Day, Among Other Things

Title: Valentine's Day, Among Other Things 

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think _____ would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Yet another holiday, oh joy! 

Author's Note: Since I am trying to end this little thinger of stories, I'm just darting around all the holidays. I don't know if I'm going to make a huge series out of it, but I might. Who knows? Maybe a few reviews could change my mind…

~*~

It was now February and Lily had been avoiding James Potter like the plague since the mistle toe disasters. But t wasn't and easy thing to do because Lily was always with Treasure, and Treasure and Sirius were never very far from each other, and James never had the courtesy to go off and die somewhere, so Lily was stuck.

She couldn't hang out just with Laurel, either. Laurel and Remus were becoming more and more serious in their relationship, disappearing off to the library to "study" or taking walks around the grounds. When they weren't off alone together, they were with Treasure and Sirius and James and Peter. _Like one big annoying gang,_ Lily thought bitterly.

Now, however, Lily was sitting in the stands among all the other Gryffindor students, cheering on enthusiastically for Treasure and the Gryffindor Lions. The Gryffindor/Hufflepuff Quidditch match was on, and both of Lily's best friends were zooming around in the air.

The game had been going on for near an hour now, and the score was 100-100. For every score the Gryffindor House made, the Hufflepuff house countered.   
"Go Treasure!" Lily shouted. Peter Pettigrew was standing next to her, watching James in awe. To Lily's extreme annoyance, he was cheering rather loudly for James. Remus was standing on Lily's other side cheering for Gryffindor and Laurel. He was completely oblivious to the dirty loks being shot his way. _Love does that to you, I guess, _Lily thought smiling.

"Gryffindor scores! The score is now 110-100 in favor of the lions!" Ramon screamed, Isabelle at his side, preening. He was commentator, and she was his girlfriend. She had an annoyingly superior look on her face, but it faded as Treasure hit a Bludger hard her way.

Lily laughed and Treasure wizzed by, grinning at them.

~*~

"Wooooo hooo!" Treasure yelled, flying through the air. Laurel laughed, "Woot!" she answered. Today she was a Chaser, and she was heading to the Gryffindor goal posts. Treasure shot after her.

"Black hit's a Bludger to Belle?!" Ramon yelped. "Who smacks it off into the tale of the Hufflepuff Chaser, and the Quaffle is knocked to Andrea Wilson, the Gryffindor Chaser. Passed to Vivianne Tyler, and Gryffindor scores!" Ramon yelled.

"Sorry!" Treasure yelled to Laurel, who grinned at her. Sirius flew up to Treasure and smacked her bat with his like a high five in mid air. Laurel waggled her eyebrows at Treasure before shooting off towards the Quaffle.

Treasure sped off after her, stopping in mid air and blocking Laurel's way. "Hey veela-girl," she teased. Laurel glared and tried to make her way past, but Treasure blocked her again. "Move you soggy tea bag!" Laurel screamed. Treasure laughed.

Laurel pursed her lips and dove. Treasure made the mistake of looking down, and somersaulted in the air. Laurel looked over her shoulder and laughed. Treasure flipped back up and shot towards Laurel like she'd been launched from a canon. It didn't take as long as it might have, Treasure was wearing a hair net that she'd bought for herself and Laurel in December. Laurel was wearing a silver one, Treasure's was maroon. Anyone else would have looked like a lunch lady in a run down elementary school, but Laurel and Treasure pulled it off quite nicely. Or so they liked to think.

Before Treasure could react, she was hit in the stomach with a Bludger. "Oof!" she wheezed as she was propelled backwards from the force of the Bludger. "Oooh, that must've hurt. Belle hit right in the stomach with a Bludger…it looks like the air was knocked out of her…" Ramon said. Treasure flipped her broom over so that the Bludger could continue on its way, and then flipped right side up, gasping for breath. Sirius was right behind her and he hit the Bludger hard enough so that it zoomed across the field, hitting one of the Hufflepuff Beaters in the arm. "Now Zara Charlotte, hit in the arm with the same Bludger, hit by Black…she seems okay though - what is he doing?! Get back in the game, Sirius!" Ramon shouted angrily.

Sirius hovered next to Treasure. He touched her elbow, "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, still gasping. His grip on her arm tightened. She glared at him. "Go!" she choked out. He nodded and flew off.

Treasure took a deep breath and flew slowly around the field, watching. Sirius was hitting Bludgers whenever they came his way, looking worriedly up t Treasure. She sighed and flew down, steadying herself. Her stomach still ached and she wouldn't be surprised to see a bruise the size of a grapefruit later on.

Suddenly James went into a dive, speeding toward a tiny glint of gold. The Hufflepuff Seeker did the same until they were neck in neck. Treasure held her breath, the dull roar of the stadium fading away as it always did when the game reached this point.

By now Gryffindor had taken a big lead and the score was 200-110. If James caught the Snitch now, Gryffindor would win by a landslide. "The Seekers neck in neck…this moment will determine the winner of the tournament…" came and echo of Ramon's voice to Treasure's ears. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a Bludger heading straight for them. "Shit," she swore, rocketing as fast as she could towards it. But it was too fast and she was too far behind, and a Hufflepuff Beater, seeing what she was trying to do, hit another Bludger directly at her. It knocked Treasure in the shoulder and she flipped over for the third time in that game, just barely holding onto her broom.

"Asshole!" she screeched angrily, as did many of her fellow Gryffindorians, as she watched the Bludger get away and hit the tail of James's broom, knocking him off course. The Hufflepuff Seeker caught the Snitch and a roar broke out from the crowd.

"Hufflepuff wins the game, 260-200. So ends the first House Quidditch tournament," Ramon said dejectedly. Treasure flew slowly down to the field where the Hufflepuff House flooded the field. She caught Remus sneak up on Laurel, who was obviously looking for him, and hug her around the waist. She grinned and turned to face him, in time to meet Remus in a full on snoggish type of kiss. Treasure grinned and headed to the locker rooms to toss her robes in a hamper and then head up to the Great Hall for a much needed meal.

~*~

Twenty minutes later, everyone was in the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff table was by far the loudest, celebrating their victory, and the Gryffindor table was the quietest, mourning they're horrible loss.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" Lily said exasperated, but she was met with the sullen glares of Treasure, Sirius, and James. Laurel and Remus were nowhere to be seen. Peter was skulking around at the table as well, looking dejectedly at James as if he hadn't realized he could miss the Snitch for once.

"I'm sure you'll win other games," Lily said desperately. Treasure sighed. "It was _so close…_" she moaned, her face in her hands. James nodded, looking more depressed than any of them had seen him. Sirius put his arm around Treasure, "Don't worry about it, Lily's right there are tons of other games we'll win. We'll win the Cup!" he said. Treasure sighed. Lily narrowed her eyes at her best friend, who leaned her head on Sirius's shoulder. Lily would never let Treasure live this one down. And by the looks of it, James would never let Sirius live it down either.

"Where've you two been?" Peter sneered. Lily looked up and saw Laurel and Remus standing by the table, hand in hand. Treasure scooted over so they had room. 

"We were just - " Remus started.

" - snogging in a random closet," Laurel said without at trace of embarrassment. 

James and Sirius hooted and Treasure laughed, "Not too subtle, are you, Laurel?" she asked. Laurel grinned, "Neither are you," she said, nodding at Treasure and Sirius. Treasure flushed and inched away, but Sirius didn't let go. Treasure shrugged.

No body spoke of a while. "Aww, c'mon, why so quiet? The Hufflepuff house is the boring one!" Laurel said. Treasure sighed. Laurel rolled her eyes, "Oh, I forgot…you lost…" she said. Treasure glared. 

"Oh come on its just a game…" Laurel said. Lily nodded vigorously. "Easy for you to say," Treasure mumbled. "Maybe if I didn't play so horribly, I wouldn't feel so bad."

"Oh, Tres, you didn't play bad! You did great! I would have fallen off my broom if I'd gotten hit with a Bludger like that!" Lily said. Laurel nodded, "Me too!" she piped up. Treasure looked unsure. "Don't worry about it," Sirius said, kissing her on the cheek. Treasure looked at him as if he was mad. He looked like he was afraid she'd run away screaming. Then she laughed. "Alright…" she said. His face broke into a smile, and the Marauders, plus the three girls, started talking normally again.

~*~

A week later it was Valentine's day, and the Great Hall was once again decorated brilliantly with red and pink tapestries. It was sunset, and the bewitched ceiling was a full of shockingly magenta clouds and golden rays of a setting sun. "Oh, its beautiful," Lily said, looking up. Treasure nodded, they had just entered the Great Hall and were among the only students there.. Once again Laurel and Remus were no where to be seen.

"Treasure?" someone said from behind the girls. Treasure looked around and smiled when she saw that it was Sirius. "Hey," she said. He looked a little nervous. "Er, what's up Sirius? You look like you swallowed Twitching Tonic.." she teased. He didn't laugh.

"Could you…Could I have a word with you?" he asked. Treasure looked absolutely perplexed. "Sure…Lils I'll be right there, okay?" she asked. Lily nodded, grinning. Treasure raised an eyebrow.

Sirius led Treasure away to the staircase. She vaguely recalled that this was where she had 'thanked' him for the Christmas gift. "So, what's going on?" she asked. Sirius took a deep breath. "Sirius, c'mon, you're freaking me out, what's wrong?" Treasure asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"Oh, it's nothing, but…will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, spitting out the words so fast that Treasure didn't really have time to process them. He handed her a rose. She took it, smiling slightly. "Oh…" she said, after taking a moment to digest the information. Little did she know that she was nearly making Sirius die by not answering. Treasure smiled. "Are you serious?" she asked. He nodded, apprehension written on his face.

"Yeah…yes, okay," she said, grinning now. "Really?" he asked. "Of course really!" she said, smacking him upside the head teasingly. He laughed, grabbing her hand. 

"Hey, what's going on you two?" Laurel said, coming down the stairs with Remus, who looked slightly out of breath. Laurel's face was rosy pink, and she wore a new necklace made of gold. Treasure raised an eyebrow, "I could ask you the same thing, but you'd just tell me you were 'snogging in some random closet' am I right?" she said. Laurel grinned, "You know it," 

"So what's up Padfoot?" Remus asked, clearing his throat. Meanwhile, Treasure was gawking at Laurel's neck. "JESUS, Laurel, what the hell did you do?" she said. "What?" Laurel said blankly. "THAT!" Treasure said, pointing at Laurel's neck. Laurel raised a hand to her neck, "Oh, that?" she asked, her face getting a bit brighter pink.

"Moony you are an animal," Sirius crowed, laughing. Remus looked caught between embarrassed and pleased. Laurel buried head in his shoulder. "Just wait til you get one, Tres," she threatened, her voice muffled in Remus's shoulder. When she looked up, she grinned evilly at Treasure. "I don't know what you are talking about," Treasure sniffed.

"Oh, don't even," Laurel said laughing. Remus looked at Sirius, "Did you ask her yet, mate?" he asked. Sirius nodded. "And what did you say?" Remus asked Treasure. Her jaw dropped, "You knew?!" she yelped. "Well no shit," Laurel said. Treasure stared at her.

"You told your girl, Moony?" Sirius roared. "She forced it out of me!" Remus protested.

"What - did she say no more closet visits 'til you tell?" Treasure asked. Laurel blinked.

"You know me far to well, Treasure," she said. Treasure burst out laughing. "But how could you not tell me that he was gonna ask me out?" she wailed afterwards. Laurel laughed. "I was _sworn_ to secrecy. Blackmailed to secrecy is more like it," she grumbled as an after thought, jabbing Remus in the ribs with her elbow.

"Er…I dunno if like this couple-y stuff…if you so much as _try_ to black mail me…" Treasure threatened, mock-glaring up at Sirius. He stared at her for a minute.

"So you said _yes?_" Laurel asked excitedly. "Well…duh," Treasure answered. Sirius let out a breath. Treasure laughed again, "What - did you think I would say no?" she teased. Sirius nodded. "Ask Moony here, he'll tell you about it,"

"He wanted to ask you since the Ball," Remus explained. "Awww," Treasure and Laurel cooed. Each with an arm around their respective girlfriends, they headed into the Great Hall for the Valentine's day feast.

~*~

"Ugh, we have so much homework," Lily moaned. Treasure nodded, her eyes blurred from reading and working through all her homework. February break proved to be even worse than December, as the teachers decided to pile even more homework.

Treasure sighed and resolutely picked up another book. She had just finished her Potions homework, which she always did first to get over with. She was thumbing dully through her Divination book, reading the information about horoscopes with avid fascination. They had covered horoscopes already, and were now on to studying signs in tree rings, which Treasure found supremely dull…She was drifting off when someone came from behind her and grabbed her shoulders.

Treasure shrieked and swung her book around, hitting her attacker square in the face. "Oww, damn it, Belle!" Sirius shouted, his hand going up to his nose. Treasure's jaw dropped. "Sirius are you stupid?! Don't sneak up on me like that, you idiot!" she shouted angrily. He glared at her, his hand still over his nose.

"I think you broke my nose," he said thickly. Treasure bit her lip to keep from smiling, and failed miserable. She burst out laughing. James and Peter, who had looked up from playing wizarding chess (James was winning), also started laughing. Lily glared. "Will you _please_ shut up? Some people are trying to work," she snapped.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm sorry," Treasure said in between laughs. He glared. She just smiled, "Come on, lets go sit down," she said, leading him over to one of the couches in the room. She sat across from him and swept her hair back, "Now, let me see your nose," she coddled him. He glared furiously. "No," he said stubbornly. Treasure quelled the urge to roll her eyes. She'd gone and injured his pride, and now he'd be an arse about it.

She sighed, "C'mon, really, let me see," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling it away from his face. His nose was red and he'd probably have a bruise for the next week. "See, not broken," she said, smiling. "Do you attack _everyone_ with books?" he asked. She laughed again, "Its your own fault, if you hadn't snuck up on me while I was practically sleeping."

He looked like he was going to yell at her, but she leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her eyes twinkling like she found it infinitely amusing. He nodded and leaned in to kiss her again.

"Ahem," someone said from in front of them. Treasure looked up and saw Laurel standing there with her hands on her hips, "Do you mind? A little _less_ public displays of affection," she said. Treasure snorted, "Oh right, as if you two don't snog at every opportunity," she said. Laurel grinned, "Well, yeah, but we have the courtesy to find a closet," she said. Treasure laughed and got up, yawning. "I'm going to bed anyway," she said tiredly. "But its not even night yet!" Sirius said.

"Oh, good, 'cause we need the couch," Laurel piped up. Sirius glared at her, "Moony, you are really going to pay for this," he growled. "Sorry, mate," Remus answered halfheartedly. Treasure started walking off to the girl's dorm. Sirius followed her.

"Sirius, I have to walk twenty feet. I think I know the way there," Treasure said. He grinned at her. "Hey, Sirius, what happened to your face?" Remus called curiously. "Treasure, you didn't hit him with a book did you?" Laurel asked, she was practically perched on Remus. Treasure laughed and nodded, and Laurel nearly fell off the couch laughing.

"Don't worry, we'll get Lily to Charm it," Treasure said quietly. Sirius shrugged, and leaned in to kiss her good night. Treasure smiled and didn't notice how Lily was glaring disgustedly at her. "G'nite, luv," Sirius said.

~*~

It was about fifteen minutes before Lily started throwing things at Remus and Laurel. "That's _it,_ I'm going to bed," she hissed, grabbing her books and storming away. Laurel blinked. "What's wrong with her?" she asked. James said nothing, only sighed.

"James, what did you do to the poor girl?" Laurel asked. James glared at her and stalked off to the boys dorm. "Nothing," he said disgustedly. Laurel blinked again. "Alright," she said. Remus tugged on her hand and nodded to the portrait hole. "Let's go for a walk," he said. She nodded and let him lead her away. 

When they were outside, Laurel let Remus put an arm around her waist and they walked like that slowly over the grounds. They didn't speak much, he led her over to a willow tree by the pond and they sat there, watching the reflect on the black pond. Laurel leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed her forehead.

"Everyone's so uptight," she said, sighing. Remus shrugged, "Exams coming up," he said. "I suppose…" Laurel replied. They spent nearly the entire evening sitting there, talking quietly, but before the sun set fully, Remus stood up and helped Laurel. "I'm sorry I cant walk you back to your dorm," he said quietly. He sounded so upset and so sorry that Laurel looked up, startled. "It's okay," she said. She knew he hated the fact that he was a werewolf, but it honestly didn't matter to her.

"No, its not," he said. Laurel held his hand, "Don't worry about it, you'll see me tomorrow," she said, teasing. He didn't smile. "Don't you want a normal boyfriend?" he asked. Laurel opened her mouth in shock. "Normal? What's normal? I'm part veela, Remus," she said. "I mean, a boyfriend who doesn't change into an animal three nights a month,"

"Remus, I get _worse_ than that once a month," 

"I'm _serious_, Laurel," 

"So am I," 

But Laurel could tell how serious he was. She sighed, "Look, I'll find a way to be with you, alright? I promise. I don't like thinking of you all alone each month. But until then," she pulled off the necklace he'd given her, the tiny gold one. She put it over his head, inside his shirt where it would stay safe. "I'm right there, okay? Just for now," she said. She kissed him lightly on the lips and smiled before he darted away to the Whomping Willow, as the last rays of the sun died away.

"I _will_ find a way to be there," she said stubbornly to herself before heading up to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

~*~

A/N: To the _real _Laurel (lol) Sorry it took me so long to update, this one wasn't as good as the original…I told you the extreme sucky-ness of my STUPID computer…but I hope you like it anyway.

-R/R please!


	14. Laurel's Spaztic Ideas

Title: Laurel's Spazzy Ideas 

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think _____ would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Okay, Laurel is _determined _to be near her bf even when he wolf's out. So, when Laurel's determined, trouble usually starts.

Author's Note: Okay…I am sorry I haven't updated in like _months_ (literally) but its been really hard to find inspiration for this story, even thought I know exactly what I want to do with it in the long run. So, here I am, trying to write yet another chapter in the direction of where I want to go.

~*~

"Wake up!" Laurel hissed, prodding at Treasure rather hard. "Whaattt?" Treasure moaned sleepily, rolling over and turning her back to Laurel. "Oh, bloody hell. Get up!" Laurel snapped, pulling out her want and poking Treasure in the back. Treasure sat up and spun around, her eyes wide. "Laurel, what are you trying to do, kill me? God, what the hell was that, I think you burned a hole through my shirt!" Treasure yelped. Laurel rolled her eyes and whispered _lumos_ so that the tip of her wand lit up.

It had been about a month since Valentines day, and it was the first night of a full moon, once again. "I cant take it anymore, Tres. I hate having to be away from Remus three days a month, because he is so worn out that he doesn't want to snap at me or whatever. I mean, does he honestly think that I care if he gets a little pissy once a month? I go through a lot worse, PMS-wise, and he deals with it," she said. Treasure yawned. "Laurel, you did not wake me up at -" she checked her watch, "2:30 in the morning to tell me that you cannot bear to be away from Remus for three nights each month. Its not like you spend nights together anyway, what's the big deal? So he changes into a blood thirsty beast for three nights. Do you honestly want to be around him then?" she asked irritably. Laurel's face fell.

"Well, no, but if there was something that I could do so that I could be around him for those nights…"

"Well, lets see, you _could_ let him bite you so that you both have to go hide in the Whomping Willow. But, if it comes to that, we might have little werewolves running around," Treasure said sarcastically, running a hand through her tangled hair. Laurel glared at her. "I _came _to you because I thought you'd care." she said angrily.

"Laurel, you know I care. I care _loads_. But not when you wake me up by _burning_ me, and not when we have to study for exams that come up in about two months…and what would the point be? It's just three days," Treasure answered tiredly. Laurel frowned, "It's not just three days. I can deal with the three days. But I don't want him to think that I hold it against him that he…changes…every month. Because I don't hold it against him. I figure that if I can find some way to be with him, he wont feel bad anymore." Laurel murmured quietly.

"I hardly think he thinks that," Treasure said, and try as she might, she was starting to wake up. "But he _does_, he always feels so horrible about it, and whenever I try to tell him that it's totally okay, he doesn't believe me, or he goes all silent. Like he still cant believe that he's just going to have to live with it, and like he's ashamed that I know," 

Treasure sighed again, Laurel looked genuinely distraught. Treasure bit her lip and stared at the ceiling, trying to adopt a part of Lily into herself and avoid the very bad idea that was slowly dawning on her. _Don't even go there, Treasure, _she thought to herself. _Don't even think about it…_ No such luck.

"Well, I can tell that I'm not going to be getting any more sleep tonight," Treasure said slowly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Laurel looked up and grinned, her silver eyes twinkling in the moonlight that made its way through and open curtain.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, L?" Treasure whispered, to make sure that Lily wouldn't wake up. If Lily only knew what they were about to do, she'd throw a fit and then kill them.

"Why don't we pay a visit to the Whomping Willow?" 

~*~

"I cant believe I'm doing this. I mean, I'm stupid, but I'm not this stupid. What if we get caught?" Treasure hissed furiously to herself. Laurel gave her a look as they walked down the halls of Hogwarts. "I mean, we don't even have an Invisibility Cloak. Could this get any stupider?" Treasure ranted on. Laurel elbowed her in the ribs. "Shut up, you'll wake up the dead," she whispered angrily. They were nearly to one of the school's many exits.

The whole school was silent and still, as if Laurel and Treasure were the only two conscious people in its entirety. When they finally reached outdoors, it was even quieter. "This is creepy," Treasure said, although it was a fact that was not needed to be spoken. "Do ya really think so?" Laurel snapped, tugging Treasure's arm as they made their way down the path to the Forbidden Forest. Treasure grinned and let go of Laurel's arm, walking ahead quickly. 

"How many points do you reckon they'd take from our Houses if we're caught," she said with impish delight, walking backwards and looking up at the sky. It looked like it was going to rain.. "You are a sick person," Laurel answered as she lit her wand once again. Treasure looked at her companion disgustedly, mostly glaring at the wand. "I'm warning you, veela-girl, if you poke me with that again, I'm gonna curse you into the next century and leave you here for your lover boy to find," she said. Laurel rolled her eyes and started walking ahead. Treasure thought about trying to find Aelia, but decided against it as it was dark and they were about to go looking for a werewolf.

"Do you know where the Whomping Will is?" Laurel asked. Treasure looked at her friend witheringly, "Was this my idea?" she asked. Laurel blinked, "Actually, it was," she said. Treasure gritted her teeth, "Yes, but it wouldn't have been my idea if you hadn't woken me up," she muttered darkly, holding her wand out in front of her and whispering "_Point me_,"

The wand hovered in mid air and spun around lazily, streaks of red and gold spinning in the air with it. Treasure waited patiently as her wand slowly came to a stop, pointing them towards a direction that seemed even darker than the path they were already on. "Oh, wonderful. Laurel, do we _have _to do this?" Treasure whined. Laurel looked frightened herself, but she pushed her chin up and grabbed Treasure's arm, pulling her along slowly. "Yes, we have to do this. I mean, Remus is all by himself!" she said. Treasure sighed. "All right," she said, biting her lips to keep from grinning. They continued walking, stumbling on roots of trees that seemed to be determined to make them fall.

"You know, this is actually quite thrilling," Treasure said flatly, turning around to look at her friend. Laurel didn't respond, but had stopped walking and was staring up at something, her face frozen in fear. Treasure blinked and turned slowly, coming eye to eight eyes with a four foot tall spider. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me…" she whispered hoarsely as the spider started clicking madly. Treasure backed away slowly, but the spider had blocked the path to the Whomping Willow. They'd have to go around, and risk facing another spider, or worse things in the forest, and getting lost. 

"Treasure, what do we do?" Laurel squeaked, her eyes huge and frightened. The spider didn't move, only looked at them. Treasure swallowed hard. "Don't move, maybe it'll go away," she said. Which proved to be the exact _wrong _words. The spider jumped forward, and Laurel screamed, her voice cutting through the thick silence like a dagger. Treasure darted out of the way, her body working without her mind. Laurel continued to shriek as the spider turned around and crept towards them, taking its time. "Laurel, shut up!" Treasure snapped, running over and grabbing her friend by the wrist. "Run, dammnit!" she shouted, bolting off. Laurel, however, remained rooted to the spot, staring at the spider in horror. "Oh, this is ridiculous," Treasure growled, running back. The spider was right before Laurel, reaching closer with its pincers. Just then, the direness of the situation hit Treasure hard. She ran faster and bellowed "_Stupefy!_" and watched as red light burst from her wand, hitting the spider and knocking it off course. It fell to the ground and twitched, but was quickly resuming strength in its legs, and would be up in no time.

"Laurel, come on, wake up, damn it!" Treasure moaned, fear flooding her. Laurel had fainted. Treasure bit her lip and tried to remember the revival spell, as the spider crawled closer on unsteady legs. "Lucky for us you're not that big," Treasure griped, standing up and holding her wand out. She shot off sparks from the tip of her wand, having little effect on the spider. It paused for a moment and then continued walking. Treasure bit her lip and thought of a spell, "_Impedimenta!_" she screamed, and the spider slowed down considerably. Treasure felt herself shaking, and knew that they were really in for it as soon as the spell wore off. "Damn you and your spazzy ideas, Laurel," she growled, dragging her friend farther away from the slow moving spider. She wracked her brain for the revival spell, finally remembering it and using it to wake up her friend. "Wha happened?" Laurel groaned, turning to look in the direction of the spider. "Oh, no you don't," Treasure said, blocking her line of vision. "I will _not_ have you fainting on me again, you ninny. There is a four foot spider over there, and thankfully my spell is holding out, but it wont for long. Now get up, and we're gonna run while we have the chance," Treasure said, hoisting up Laurel and nearly falling over as she tried to regain balance. The spider was moving freakishly slow. "Why are we here?" Laurel asked, as Treasure started to run.

"Because of _you_ and your obsession with your boyfriend," Treasure sneered, fear driving her to run faster. It was amazing how she could still think coherently. They heard crashing behind them, and knew it was the spider. The spell had worn off. "Run faster," Treasure yelled, her voice muffled as the spider jumped on her and tackled her to the ground. Laurel screamed and blurted the first spell that came to mind. "_Expelliarmus!"_

"Oh, gee, that's gonna do a lot," Treasure grunted, her arms pinned to her sides as the spiders pincers came closer to her neck. And actually, it did. The pincers, that were inches close to decapitating Treasure, vanished, and the spider screamed in rage. Treasure shrieked, her fear finally taking over (she was a _bit_ slow), and bucked, trying to get away from the spider. Laurel screamed another spell, and the spider collapsed onto Treasure, knocking the air out of her. Laurel inched over slowly. 

"Get it off me!" Treasure screamed, wriggling desperately. Laurel found her friend's shoulders and pulled. "_Never again will I listen to you,"_ Treasure gasped, her face flushed and sweaty. "Oh, you're having fun, don't deny it," Laurel said, grinning. Treasure narrowed her eyes, and then grinned. "Adrenaline junkie," Laurel accused. "You're mad," Treasure snapped. 

"Barking," Laurel agreed.

Treasure sighed and bit her lip as she put weight on her left ankle. "Not only do I have to lug your ass around cuz you're too damn scared of a spider to help me, now I have a broken ankle." she grumbled. "If it was broken, you would be walking now would you?" Laurel asked. Treasure was about to retort when she stopped short and stared. They'd reached a clearing, and before them stood the Whomping Willow in all its psychotic glory. 

"Okay, it's time to leave," Treasure squeaked, jumping back as the branches swung about madly, trying to destroy air. "Laurel?" Treasure asked, turning and not seeing her friend by her. She turned back and saw Laurel running through the clearing, and through the branches. "Oh, for God's sake!" Treasure groaned, sprinting as fast as she could on her bad ankle. She put her arms up, but couldn't help being knocked to the side by a particularly large branch. She groaned and stayed low, the branches flying over her, so close that they ruffled her hair. "Laurel, wait!" Treasure screamed, and she saw the shimmering blonde head a few yards in front of her crouch low and pause. The moon made the veela's face glow ivory, and Treasure glared, quickly flattening herself against the ground so she wouldn't be decapitated. "Let's see if you get a birthday present," she muttered, scrambling over to Laurel. Laurel just grinned and kept crawling, until they reached the trunk of the Willow. "Now what, genius?" Treasure snapped, hissing as a branch smacked her across the face. Laurel bit her lip and reached forward. "Don't touch it!" Treasure cried, but it was too late, and Laurel had pressed the knob in the tree trunk. The branches froze. "You are so lucky it didn't start firing eggplants at us or something," Treasure said. Laurel looked at her like she was nuts, "You say the stupidest things, you know that?" 

Treasure glared, and thought vaguely that her face might get stuck in that expression if she spent any more time with Laurel. "Well, whose idea was this?" Laurel said nothing and headed around the tree, looking for an entrance. Finding one, she disappeared in, and Treasure sighed, and began to follow.

~*~

"This is beyond cool," Laurel said, looking around the dusty old shake. Ratty blankets served as rugs on the floor, and the wood was creaky and cracked. It was the very essence of haunted, and Laurel was loving every minute of it. "Can we just find your boyfriend and leave?" Treasure said irritably, her sore ankle twinging each time she stepped on it. She put her hand to her face, delighted to find blood pouring from what had seemed like a shallow cut. "Laurel, if I get a scar, I am _seriously_ going to _feed_ you to Remus next full moon," she threatened. "Shut up," Laurel whispered, heading to a rackety old stair case.

Now, Treasure was always a reckless person, but she had a seriously bad feeling about what would happen if they went down that staircase. "Laurel, I don't think you should go down there," she warned. Laurel waved her off, placing one foot on the first step. "No, really, you shouldn't go down there," Treasure muttered. "Why?" Laurel hadn't even finished the word when a shriek erupted from below. Treasure darted to Laurel's side and clapped a hand over her mouth before she could scream. They fell back against the stairs, Laurel on top of Treasure's ankle, and both were shaking for long minutes after the shriek had ended.

"That's why," Treasure panted. "W-was that Remus?" Laurel asked, her eyes wide and her face paler than normal for a veela. Treasure shrugged, "I don't think so. That was the werewolf…which is why we should leave. Right now," she said, pushing Laurel off her and getting up slowly. "We _cant_ leave, we came all this way!" Laurel said.

"Yeah, and I've lived for fifteen years. That's a long way too, I don't want to die just yet!" Treasure snapped. Laurel's face hardened, and she didn't turn to follow Treasure out. "What if there are more spiders out there, huh? We didn't kill the first one," Laurel pointed out. 

"Wow, somehow I think that I could cope better with them than with your lover down there," Treasure said pointedly. Laurel sighed, "Well, you cant leave, because I'm going down there, and if I get hurt, who'll come to save me?" 

"You wouldn't," Treasure said lowly, but she knew Laurel would. Laurel smiled nervously, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Are you coming or not?" she asked. Treasure looked at her hands and then met her friend's eyes again. "Why are you so intent on this?" she asked. Something she probably should have asked when they were both safe inside the castle. But Treasure was impulsive and wasn't very wise, at least not when caught up in the moment. In fact, it was during some stupid or dangerous even that Treasure really thought of consequences. And it was too late to turn back now. "I dunno. Its just something that I have to do," Laurel said. Treasure nodded, the first thought that came to her mind being _We've both gone mad._

"So?" Laurel asked, not really impatiently, but more understanding. Treasure sighed, and looked from Laurel, to the exit. From danger and almost certain death, to safety and wise cowardice. From the craziest, wildest event that could ever take place in Treasure's life (although, this would be countered by many events in the future, and most of them unpleasant) to less certain death, because one never could be sure what the Forbidden Forest held. "I wish Lily were here, she'd talk me out of this," Treasure murmured, meeting Laurel's eyes again. Laurel grinned, and Treasure heart began to pound with excitement and fear. "Let's go," she said. Treasure followed quietly down the steps, both girls moving slow, as if giving each other the opportunity to turn back. But neither did, and they reached the landing, and turned around a corned…

…to see not only a werewolf, but a big black dog as well. And big wasn't the word to properly describe this creature. It was huge. It was much larger than any normal dog could possibly be. And with the dog was a stag, a huge majestic stag with antlers that looked deadly and terrifying at the same moment while looking wondrous. "Prongs," Laurel whispered, her eyes wide. None of the creatures noticed them. Treasure watched her friend's expression, when it finally dawned on her. "You mean that's James?" she gasped, and then, looking to the dog, "Sirius? Padfoot?" Treasure asked, completely stupefied.

It was in this moment that a lot of things took place at once. The werewolf, whom Laurel had just realized was "Moony" which was Remus's no longer strange nick name, ran at them at full speed. Treasure, snapping out of her daze, raised her wand and was about to yell, "_Stupefy," _ when Laurel shrieked "Don't hurt him!" and tackled Treasure to the ground. The werewolf soared over their heads and met with the wall behind them. Treasure had to grab Laurel to keep her from running to her now-salivating boyfriend. "He's a werewolf, I think he can deal," Treasure groaned, trying to tug Laurel away into some place safe. Laurel, however, would have none of it, and shoved Treasure off. Treasure scrambled to her feet as the werewolf/Moony/Remus ran at Laurel, and screamed "_Stupefy!"_ The red blaze streaked past the beast's nose, distracting it, and giving Laurel time to scream, "_Expelliarmus!"_, and Treasure's wand was whipped from her hand, and landed in a corner, some feet away. 

The werewolf was now headed for Treasure, and she was utterly defenseless. She froze, not knowing what else to do, and closed her eyes, waiting to be devoured. _So long, Tres, it's been a good life,_ a voice inside her head cackled evilly, but the only thing Treasure could think of was, _Too bad Sirius will have to watch me die. _She opened one eye and saw Laurel standing, terrified, a few feet away. 

Suddenly, a flash of brown and gold sped by, and the werewolf was tackled and pinned to the floor, the huge stag standing atop it. Treasure opened her eyes and looked around, utterly mystified as to why she wasn't dead. A sharp pain erupted in her left arm, and she turned to meet the furious eyes of Padfoot. "Oh, shit," Treasure muttered, as the dog dragged her to the stairs, glaring at Laurel to follow. For once, Laurel complied, and walked ahead while Treasure was dragged up the stairs by her very angry pooch.

Sirius/Padfoot dumped Treasure at the foot of a bed that she hadn't notice before, and with a _bang_ he went from dog to man. He looked so furious, if Treasure hadn't been so dimly aware that she was scared out of her mind, she would have been frightened. Or perhaps not, because after all, it was only Sirius, who was only her boyfriend, and she wouldn't let herself fear him. The humiliation would be too much.

"What-" Sirius started. 

"It wasn't my idea!" Treasure put in hastily, holding her arm where the dogs, err, Sirius's….teeth had been. "God damn it, I think you made me bleed!" she hissed, standing up, and then sitting down on the bed hastily, because her ankle really was injured and had decided to give up by now. 

"Why -"

"_She_ wanted to see her boyfriend," Treasure snapped, pulling off her robe and sitting in her tank top, looking at her arm. Sure enough, the skin was broken and little droplets of blood were in small dots where his teeth had been. "You _did_ make me bleed! You don't have rabies, do you?" Treasure asked indignantly.

"I don't care if I _killed_ you, because right now, _I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_ Sirius shouted. Treasure flinched and looked up, meeting his eyes angrily. Laurel walked quietly over and sat on the bed, playing with her wand sheepishly, and then turning to inspect her nails. 

"What were you _thinking_? Have you _lost your -bloody- mind?!?!" _Sirius seethed, grabbing Treasure by the shouldered and shaking her. She yelped in pain as his hand squeezed her bite wounds. _Bite wounds! Honestly! _Treasure thought resentfully. She smacked his hands away, but he took her arms again, and pulled her closer. She was nose to nose with him, both glaring at each other in something worse than anger. Fury. Loathing, even, for each other's presence at the moment.

"Well?" he growled, he visage darkening further. Treasure's glare deepened. 

"I could ask you the same thing, _Padfoot_," she snarled, shaking off his hands again. Sirius sighed and sat down on the bed, listening as a yelp came from downstairs. Laurel stiffened, and tried to get up. "Don't even think about it," Sirius said flatly. Treasure shot him a glare, and tried to push off his arm as he put it around her shoulders.

"Get off me, you horrible person. You _lied_ to me! Don't even think about getting mad at me for being here, I'm just as mad at you," she hissed. Laurel smiled thinly, turning to watch their row with eager anticipation. Sirius groaned, frustrated. "The reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you'd want to come. And I didn't want to put you in danger. Besides, its kind of a guy thing." 

"A GUY THING?!" Treasure shrieked. "You have got to be out of your God damned _mind_ Sirius Black! Being an Animagus is not 'a guy thing'. And put me in danger my ass! I don't need you to look out for me, Sirius, I can handle that fine." she snapped.

"You bloody well can. I just saved you _life_ down there, or have you forgotten." Sirius shouted. Treasure laughed.

"Saved my life? I don't recall _you_ tackling Remus. Or should I say, Moony? I think it was _James_ who saved my life. Not you, dear," she said sarcastically. "In fact, I was perfectly fine. I could of scrambled out of there WITHOUT YOU BITING ME, AND THEN _DRAGGING ME UP THE STAIRS!" _Treasure roared.

"Stop all the bleeding commotion!" a new voice yelled, and it was squeaky and nervous sounding. Peter Pettigrew stood, wringing his hands and looking at Treasure, Sirius, and Laurel. "Look, there's no reason to fight about it now, you can do that tomorrow when there _isn't_ a hundred fifty pound werewolf howling around. Treasure and Laurel can stay here over night, Prongs is getting worn out, Sirius, and you know bloody well I cant do a thing down there," Peter said, stuttering only once or twice. And as much as they all hated to admit it, the little rat was right. Treasure sighed and laid back on the lumpy bed, inspecting her arm once again.

"Stay here," Sirius commanded, glaring at Laurel, and then hard at Treasure. She rolled her eyes and picked up a blanket from the floor. Laurel looked at her timidly. Treasure sneered behind Sirius' back and then turned to face her friend once more. Remus howled, and the girls shuddered.

"This is all your fault," Treasure teased, "You should sleep on the floor. Or that ratty old chaise over there," 

Remus the werewolf shrieked and howled again. "I don't think it makes much of a difference," Laurel muttered, not moving from her corner of the bed. "We're not gonna get much sleep anyway,"

Remus the werewolf screamed again, and the girls sat up ramrod straight, not moving an inch as the hair on their neck stood up, and refused to sit for the rest of the night.

~*~

A/N: I am so sorry I havent updated in soooo long, but I was kinda wrapped around HTSAH, and then school started, and I'm surprised I finished this chapter this night. But I know that a select few have asked and asked for an update, and here is it. I am _so _sorry it took so long. 


	15. One Thing To Do

Title: One Thing To Do 

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think _____ would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Okay, Laurel is _determined _to be near her bf even when he wolf's out. So, when Laurel's determined, trouble usually starts.

Author's Note: The saga continues…

~*~

Laurel and Treasure woke up at the same moment last night, having passed out sometime between the 156th scream of the werewolf downstairs. Treasure sat up and rubbed her face tiredly, surprised that she'd been able to sleep at all. She groaned and pulled her cloak on, shivering because it was a bit cold in the morning. Laurel sighed and sat up, looking around blearily.

"Where are we again?" she asked. Treasure mumbled something incoherently and got up, walking around the room. "Oh, yeah, I remember. We nearly got eaten by spiders, and then by Remus," Laurel said happily. Treasure turned around and grinned. "And I _did_ get eaten…God damn it I may never forgive Sirius. Look at this!" she said, pulling her arm out of her robe and showing Laurel the bite marks, which were now accompanied by a lovely bruise.

"Half my damn arm is purple," Treasure complained. She walked over to the stairs and turned back to Laurel, "I hope you know that I am never, ever going to listen to you again. Next time you want to go off and nearly die, please leave me out of it," she said. Laurel looked hurt. "You know that's now what I mean," Treasure said hastily, and Laurel nodded. 

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" she asked. Treasure smiled. "Nah, it was actually kinda fun,"

"Fun?!" another voice boomed from behind Treasure. She jumped and turned around. "FUN?!" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing her wrist roughly. She glared at him. "God damn it, Sirius, get a grip - or rather, lose one. Get off me, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same bloody question," he said, not letting go of her arm. Treasure sighed and stopped trying to pull away. "You could have died, Treasure! I don't care if Laurel forced you into this -"

"Good, because she didn't," 

"Or if you decided to come here on your own,"

"Wonderful, 'cause really all Laurel is guilty of is waking me up. It was my idea to come here," 

"Okay, you know, I do care. Why would you do something so stupid?!" he shouted at her. Treasure glared at him. "Don't you yell at me, Sirius Black, or you're gonna have a serious problem." she seethed. He let go of her arm and she stomped away to the corner of the room, refusing to look at him. Laurel got up and inched over to the stairs. "Is Remus awake?" she asked. Sirius glared at her, "Yeah, but you don't want to be going down there, he might be in a state of undress."

Laurel flushed up to her hairline, but then with a strange look on her face, asked: "So, where's James and Peter, then?" Sirius didn't answer, but Treasure piped up, "They left. Went outside for something," Sirius didn't even look in her direction but shouted, "Oy, Moony, are you decent?" 

"Yeah, why?" came the muffled answer. Laurel hurried down the stairs.

"You," Sirius rounded on Treasure as soon as the veela-girl was gone. 

"Me," Treasure said darkly.

"Come here," Sirius asked. Treasure laughed. "Make me," she said, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. Sirius walked slowly up to her, and Treasure raised her chin, not afraid in the slightest.

"What are you gonna do to me, Black? Gonna punish me for coming here? Last time I checked, the Whomping Willow wasn't off limits," Treasure taunted him.

"Yeah, but the Forest is," Sirius said angrily. "Say's he-who-resides-in-it-three-times-a-month," Treasure spat, equally as brassed off. "Treasure, its _dangerous_, you could have died! What if more than just one spider attacked you?"

"Oh, Sirius, don't be a wimp on me now…you have no right to scold me, _Padfoot,_" she sneered. Sirius was standing directly in front of her now, and grabbed her by her arms. She yelped when he held her by the wound on her arm. "Get off, you idiot! You're hurting me!" she said, kicking him in the shin. He let go, and she ran away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded. Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Treasure let out a frustrated breath, "Yeah, well, you should be. Touch me like that again and I'll pull a _Petrificus Totalus_ on you," she threatened. He sighed and looked down, he looked so miserable that she felt bad and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. 

"Promise me that you wont come again," he said.

"I cant promise you that," she said. "If Laurel comes to me again and says that she's missing Remus, you know that I'll come with her here," 

"Treasure, you cant! You'll get hurt, maybe even killed," he said. Treasure smiled. "It's touching to know that you care so much," she said. He reached up and touched her arm. "I'm sorry," he said softly, as she flinched away. She shrugged. "I've been duffed up worse during Quidditch practice. And you did save my life," she said. Sirius smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt, Tres," he said. She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "You'd be sad for a while, and then you'd get over it," she teased. He didn't laugh. "Cheer up, I know you'd come after me and save me. And then kill me for getting in trouble in the first place," she said. Sirius smiled and led her over to the couch, pulling out a box from underneath it after she sat down. 

"What are you doing?" she asked as he sat beside her, the box on his lap. "That bite looks bad, I shouldn't have pulled you so hard," he said quietly, pulling out some gauze a cleansing potion. "Don't!" Treasure yelped as he slowly applied the potion. It sizzled and burned and was entirely unpleasant. 

He unrolled the gauze and bandaged up her arm gently. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled her to lean on him. "So this is Sirius Black, huh? The risk taker, man of spontaneity," she said quietly. "I don't care if I get hurt, Tres, only if you do. I don't want you to be impulsive," he said. Treasure stiffened and pulled away.

"Sirius, that's the way I am. I'm not like Lily, I'm not cautious and practical. I came here because Laurel wanted to be with Remus, or at least be there for him when he…changed back. And I wanted to come too, because it would have been an adventure. Believe it or not, I didn't do this just to impress you," 

"Of course not, you don't need to impress me," he said gently.

"Good, just so we're clear," she said, not sinking back down to lean on him. He sighed. "You're not mad at me, are you?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am. Sirius, you talk about me getting hurt when you're here having a party with a werewolf! I don't quite think that you have the right to tell me off." she said tersely. 

"Treasure, Remus cant hurt me if he bites me when I'm in the dog form," Sirius explained. "Well a fat lot of help that'll do. You could still bleed to death, or what if you change back by accident and then he attacks you?" she demanded.

"He wont! When we're all here in our animal shapes, he says it makes him more sane. We're helping him, Treasure. He's my best friend, and if we're here, we keep him from hurting himself." Sirius said.

"So that's it, then? None of it is for the rush?" Treasure demanded. Sirius sighed and looked down. "That's what I thought," she said angrily. Treasure didn't quite know why she was so angry, but she had a feeling it was because Sirius had a secret that he kept from her, and there weren't really any secrets she kept from him.

"Don't expect me to stay away, Sirius, because I wont," she warned him. He got up and surprised her by taking her face in his hands. He pressed his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. Treasure was caught off guard and blinked, wondering what the hell he was up to. 

"There's only one thing we can do then, huh?" he asked.

~*~

"Hey," Laurel said quietly, leaning by the wall. Remus was sitting tiredly against the wall on the other side of the room, his arms wrapped around his knees. Laurel's heart flipped over when she realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked tiredly. Laurel could here that he was angry, she could see it by the way he was sitting and not looking at her when he spoke. Remus always looked at her when he had something to say, or when she was speaking. It was one of the things that she liked the most about him - how he made her feel like she was the only person in the room.

In this case, she was the only other person in the room, but this time she didn't feel like it. "I wanted to see you," Laurel said in a whisper. 

"Why didn't you wait for me in the Great Hall like we usually do?" Remus demanded. Laurel swallowed hard and crept over to where her boyfriend was sitting. "I wanted you to know that I don't hold it against you, the werewolf thing," she said. Remus looked up, and Laurel wanted to cry. The exhaustion and self-loathing on his face all too evident for her taste. "I could have hurt you," he said softly.

"Nah," Laurel replied, feeling a bit weak. Remus looked up to meet her eyes. "Don't say that," he snapped, his voice harsh. Laurel flinched and looked away. "I could have hurt you, you know that. Don't act like its not true. Say it," he ordered. Laurel felt tears well up in her eyes, and she struggled very hard not to be angry.

"No," she said through clenched teeth. Remus shot up like a bullet and walked over to her. Laurel crossed her arms over her chest defensively, and met his eyes. "I could have killed you, Laurel. Would you want me to have to live with that?" he asked lowly, his voice more a growl than anything else. 

"You could have, but you didn't," she said. "And a slim chance it was that I didn't. If Sirius hadn't dragged Treasure away in time, she could be dead or worse, she could be a werewolf, like me," he said. Laurel looked like he had slapped her.

"Is that how your life is, then, Remus? Worse than death?" she asked, tears falling freely from her eyes. Remus looked away, "If I had hurt you, it would be," he said. Laurel wiped angrily at her eyes and refused to look at him. Instead, she focused on the wall behind him. He reached out and gently touched her hand. Laurel gave no notice.

"Don't be angry with me," Remus whispered. Laurel didn't say anything, just kept staring at the wall. "I was just so terrified that I'd hurt you. Or Treasure…d'you realize how dangerous it was when you protected me when she tried to Stun me. The spell would have done next to nothing, I would have been out for a few moments, and it would have given you time to get away before Sirius had to drag her. But if he hadn't gotten there…" Remus trailed off, reaching for her other hand.

Laurel sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just didn't want her to hurt you," 

"Which is exactly why you cant come anymore, Laurel. If being here affects your judgment like that…its dangerous enough without you here," he said. Laurel sighed again and nodded. "I just miss you," she said quietly. Remus tugged her closer and led her over to his corner on the floor. Laurel leaned her head on his shoulder and let him comb through her hair.

"Remember when I said that I'd find some way to be here with you?" Laurel asked, breaking the silence after a long moment. Remus said nothing, only nodded. "I still will," Laurel said, resolutely. "But -" Remus tried to protest, and Laurel merely kissed him to shut him up. He was too tired, and too happy to find her safe, to protest.

~*~

A/N: Short chappie I know but I wanted to update and my inspiration is once again sapped... R&R por favor.


	16. The Indignation of Lily Evans

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

Author's Note: Oh my goodness, I'm back with the story after…how long? (No, seriously, how long?) Well, I had originally planned to wait and see if I got any more reviews…if I didn't, then I'd remove the story from ff.net…and suddenly someone reviewed! (eerie, huh?) And since HP and the POA is coming out soon, and I recently started reading all the books again (backwards, mind you) and realized how much I LOVE the books and the characters, and how much fun this story was…I've decided that I'm going to continue it. And so, more than five months since the last update…here is the newest chapter! WOO-HOO!

--I have just discovered that I have a hat with the Harry Potter logo on it…and I have baptized it as my Thinking Cap. GO ME! big grin AND I just found a lightening bolt earring! This day just gets better and better…x]

Two more weeks had gone by since Laurel's and Treasure's rendezvous in the Forbidden Forest. Things had seem to go back to normal, but Lily had positively blown a fuse when she had heard about all the fun that had transpired while she had been safely asleep in the Gryffindor girl's dormitory.

"Do you mean to tell me that _everyone_ was out running around madly in the forest while I was stuck here? Asleep?!" she demanded quite loudly one day in a pub at Hogsmeade. Remus looked around anxiously from his spot next to Laurel, and Sirius glared at Lily. Wormtail was imitating Sirius and glaring pointedly at Lily as she started to get further worked up. James yawned. Treasure was trying valiantly to calm Lily down.

"Lily, its not as if you would have let us go if we had told you…you would have been against it from the start, and it would have taken longer to get there -"

"But I would have gone with you in the end! Do you think that I am such a prat that I would just let you go into the forest on your own? And you would have had an extra wand with you…maybe your ankle wouldn't have been bothering you too much then, Treasure, if you had someone else to defend you with the spider!" Lily snapped. She had been very worried in the morning, and several morning after, when Treasure spent most of her time limping around. Treasure had refused to see Madam Pomfrey about it, wanting to avoid as many stupid questions as she possibly could. They had finally decided to use a wrap her ankle, Lily knew how as she grew up in a Muggle home, and let Treasure walk it off.

"I don't know why you couldn't just tell her that you fell down the stairs," Sirius said, earning a rather hard punch in the arm from his girlfriend. Treasure was still a bit angry with him for the large bite in her arm, which had by now faded into a colorful portrait of nasty greens and yellows.

Now, however, everyone was gathered in the Common Room, with the exception of Laurel who was in detention for setting off a large amount of Dungbombs accidentally in Potions. It had been quite amusing to Treasure, whose first period of Double Potions was with Ravenclaw, and became even more so when Eva had a rather nasty reaction to the stench and hurled into her cauldron full of an antidote for stomach illness during the second period. The irony struck Treasure as particularly priceless, and she had been docked twenty points from Gryffindor for laughing too much. Laurel had been given three nights of detention.

Remus was sitting rather glumly in a corner, staring at the fireplace. Lily was sitting alone too, looking extremely agitated when James came over and tried to strike up a conversation. She had finally gotten fed up and slammed her book onto the table with such force that she knocked over her inkpot, splattering all over her just finished essay for Transfiguration. "_Reparo!_" she hissed angrily at James, who looked as though he desperately wanted to laugh, and stalked off into the girl's dormitory.

Sirius and Treasure had a couch all to themselves, and were flipping through a book with their heads together. "It's got to be very difficult, though, hasn't it? I'm impressed that you and James learned it, and managed to teach Peter as well…how long do you reckon it took you?" Treasure was asking, looking at a particularly gruesome picture of a wizard stuck in between Transfiguring himself into his animal, which happened to be a rabbit. Sirius had decided that if Laurel and Treasure wanted to continue coming to visit the Whomping Willow, they would have to learn to become Animagi. James agreed when Treasure had suggested that perhaps Lily wanted to learn as well.

"It took us all of last year, and we'd been researching it since the middle of third." Sirius said. Treasure tossed him a nasty look. "And you never thought to mention it to me, Black? After all that help I gave you with the Marauder's Map, you never thought maybe I would like to learn how to turn myself into some random animal?" she asked. Sirius looked back at her just as nastily, "First of all, it's not just 'some random animal', that's where you'll end up getting into trouble," he said. "Second of all, it was hard enough for us to learn it, do you really think we wanted to go around teaching a bunch of girls as well?"

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with a bunch of girls?" came a new voice from the portrait hole. Laurel was climbing in, looking annoyed. "Thank goodness this was the last night of my detention, if I had to scrap rat bile from the bottom of one more draw I might have gone and hexed Athach. Stupid old bat," she snarled, allowing Remus to kiss her lightly on the cheek. James grinned at him cheekily, and Remus turned slightly pink.

"I mean, just look at this? My hands are raw…and Athach just laughed…one day I swear I will curse that loon," Laurel went on, tossing her silvery hair behind her. Her eyes were flashing an angry green. Remus led her over to the couch where Sirius and Treasure were sitting. Treasure pulled the book into her lap so Laurel could see it, and they spent another quarter hour reading up on what it took to become an Animagus.

"It says that one has to be able to perform very well in Transfiguration," Treasure said, a bit put off. "Transfiguration is my favorite subject, but that doesn't mean I'm very good at it," she moaned. Laurel shrugged, "I think it's pretty easy," she said. "Charms is what gets me, though. Who knew that if you did the wrong wrist movement, and entirely different charm would be put into effect…like that time I was supposed to summon a cushion, and sent poor Professor Flitwick careening into the closet instead…" Treasure laughed and turned the pages, "I think the first thing we should do is pick what animals we want to turn into…but how are you supposed to do that?"

"It usually just comes to you," James explained, sitting down on an armchair opposite the couch. Peter nodded from the table where he was struggling over his Divination homework. It was hard for him, and pathetically so, because all he really had to do was make up the answers.

"And you usually end up having some traits in common with the animal you choose," Peter chimed in, his nose twitching - almost uncanny in the way it resembled that of a rat. He rung nervously his pale hands as everyone turned to look at him. Treasure grinned, "You don't say?" she quipped, not unkindly. She found Peter's admiration for James, Sirius, and Remus, though annoying, rather poignant as well. Sirius would beg to differ.

"Well, I know what animal I'm going to be," Laurel said, yawning widely. She rested her head on Remus' shoulder, smiling at him as he asked her quietly what animal she had chosen. "A wolf, of course," she said, shrugging. Remus smiled thinly.

"Its 'cause she wants to mate," Treasure said bluntly, and yelped as Laurel jabbed her sharply in the side. Both Laurel and Remus were blushing. Sirius laughed heartily and turned a few more pages. "Do you have any idea what you want to change into?" Peter asked Treasure, walking over from the table, having finally given up on his homework. She bit her lip thoughtfully, and ran a hand through her unruly dark hair. Her eyes looked almost yellow in the dim light.

"I was thinking some kind of bird," she said, turning a few more pages hastily and coming to rest on a page that was titled _Registered Animagi Witches and Wizards_. She scanned the list. "Why am I not surprised that none of you are registered?" she asked with a smile.

"What, and let a bunch of stuffy old blokes know that a handful of fifteen year olds can do what many full grown wizards can't?" Sirius asked. "We wouldn't want to spoil their fun," James added, standing up and stretching, and heading for bed.

"I mean, if Wormtail here can become a successful Animagus, that doesn't say a whole lot for the wizards who cant, hmm?" Sirius asked. Treasure glared at him, and looked sympathetically towards Pettigrew, who was blushing and smiling rather nervously. "I think I'm pretty much beat," she said, standing up and walking to the girl's dormitory. Laurel did so as well, kissing Remus goodnight as she headed out the portrait to get to the Ravenclaw tower.

"How long do you figure it'll take me to learn to be Animagus?" Treasure asked Sirius as he caught up with her. He grinned insolently at her, "What, with me as a teacher?" he asked. She mock-sneered at him and turned to go up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, calling a lazy goodnight over her shoulder as she did.

"Lily?" Treasure whispered, changing quickly into her nightgown and slipping into bed. "Hmm?" Lily said, rolling over and turning on a light. They both ignored the annoyed groans of Violet and Isabelle, who were asleep in the other beds. Treasure grinned. "There's something that Laurel and I would like to learn, and we may need your help; seeing as how you are the more dedicated of the students," Treasure said with a grin. Lily rolled her eyes, "What stupid bit of trouble do you fancy getting yourself into now?" she asked, but Treasure knew her all to well to miss the smile that was twitching at the corners of her lips.

"Well, we want to become…" she lowered her voice, shooting a rather nasty look at the beds beyond Lily. Violet and Isabelle had become considerably cooler towards Treasure as soon as she started dating Sirius. It wasn't a little known fact that many girls fancied Sirius, and Violet and Isabelle were among them. It seemed odd to Treasure that two girls who were in her own dormitory would hold such a grudge against her, and it had only really started in this year. They were usually on quite good terms with Treasure.

"We want to learn how to become Animagi," Treasure finished in a whisper. Lily's eyes widened significantly. "Treasure…that's really advanced magic…If something went wrong, it could be very hard to reverse," she said, looking excited all the same. Challenging magic was something the Lily never skirted away from, and Treasure had a feeling that it may have been because she was Muggle-born, and wanted to prove herself more than other witches and wizards her age might. Treasure grinned at her best friend, "It's nothing old Daisy can't handle, is it?" Daisy Pomfrey was the school nurse, and had handled many, many spells and incantations gone wrong by foolish students. Lily still looked apprehensive, but was biting her lip in a mixture of anxiety and excitement. From the glow in her green eyes, Treasure could tell that excitement was winning over the better half of Lily Evans.

"Besides, if James and Sirius could learn it, it should be a total cinch for you," Treasure hinted, and the speed in which Lily met her eyes was enough to let Treasure know that her friend was hooked. "James…is an Animagus?" Lily asked. She looked positively furious…and perhaps a bit impressed. Treasure hid her smile. "Yes…didn't you know?" she asked. Lily looked as though she was going to explode. She sat up quickly in her bed and pulled out her bag from underneath her, pulling out a book and flipping through the pages impatiently.

"Um, Lils?" Treasure asked, now a bit perplexed. "It says here that the youngest wizard to ever successfully become an Animagus was twenty-eight! James is only fifteen!"

"Hate to burst your bubble, Lily, but he learned it last year," Treasure said, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from laughing. Lily glared. "Do you mean that he learned it when he was fourteen…_half_ the age of the youngest wizard who, it says here, learned to turn himself into a monkey?" Treasure shrugged, "Afraid so," she said. Lily snapped the book shut and stuffed it back under her bed in a most unreasonable sort of way.

"That git," she said. Lily hated it when James was better at something than her. He was especially good at Transfiguration, and although Lily was also one of the top in her class, he still had her beat. She positively fumed when he was awarded points for being the first person to Transfigure his porcupine into a pincushion, without having it curl up in fright as the Professor approached it with a pin. Lily's pin cushion still trembled from time to time, and hopped about a bit, on a particularly unlucky day.

"I'm sure he wont mind teaching you," Treasure was saying. Lily through herself back down onto her bed, fluffing her pillow up rather forcefully. "I don't want him to teach me. I'm sure that you and I will be able to learn it ourselves - Laurel as well," she said, sniffing indignantly. She was already annoyed enough that she had to spend an excess amount of time with James, now that Treasure and Sirius were an item, as were Laurel and Remus. But having him teach her would be just unbearable.

"Right, well, I'm sure he'd make a great teacher. Sirius has offered his help as well," Treasure said sleepily. Lily frowned, "I'm quite sure that we don't need their help, if they could learn it themselves last year - and we're a year older than they were when they learned it…" but she soon realized that Treasure was quite past listening, in fact she was breathing deeper and merely murmuring each time Lily paused for an answer. Lily smiled as she turned off the light, and drifted off into sleep while thinking of what kind of animal she'd be inclined to turn into.

Madam _Poppy _Pomfrey is the nurse when Harry is at Hogwarts…I took the liberty of making up a Madam _Daisy _Pomfrey, presumably a relative of Harry's Pomfrey…I really love reading the books over again…

A/N: I wanted to write more, but I was really eager to get this chapter up…they're expecting thunderstorms here, so I have to hurry to get this posted…hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don't know why, but somehow I envision Lily Evans as someone with a personality a bit similar to Hermione…hmm…Review, please!

-Crystyna


	17. Fox, Wolf, and Raven

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

Author's Note: I'm back, and I've had such wonderful inspiration for this story, its amazing…thank goodness for my brother's Dungeon's and Dragons monster book thing, because otherwise I'd have had to make up stuff about mythical monsters, and I could have had trouble with that….ANYWAY, here we go again.

--By the way, Laurel is in Hufflepuff, not Ravenclaw…I forgot, and I think I may have mentioned the wrong house in chapter 17.

The last two weeks of March were upon the Marauders and their girlfriends rather quickly. They threw a birthday party for Treasure, who was the last among them to turn sixteen. After that however, Lily and Treasure, more often than not accompanied by Laurel, were in the Common Room or an empty class room every night until well past midnight, trying very hard to become Animagi. They had settled on their animals rather quickly, and James was right, it did come to them rather quickly.

Lily had been the second to decide, after Laurel had so obviously pointed out what animal she had decided. Lily had chosen to transform into a fox, and so far she seemed to be the best at her transformation. She had been able to sprout a tail quite regularly, but didn't seem to be getting any further. The girls hadn't realized that it would have been wise to learn the reversal spell before attempting any of the transformations, and so Treasure had to call on Sirius rather grudgingly to get rid of the feathers that had erupted on her face. It wasn't something that he was likely to stop laughing about any time soon.

Laurel had, of course, chosen to become a wolf. One the single occasion that she had been able to transform her ears, it became evident what traits she would have in common with the animal. Her fur was the same unadulterated silver as her hair.

Lily's case was also very similar, the fur on the tail was about the same as the auburn of her mane. Treasure, by far, was having the most trouble with this spell. She had decided, after a long time, that she wanted to turn into a raven. She would often complain that it would take her far longer than it took Peter Pettigrew to learn how to become an Animagus, and she had finally succumbed to allowing Sirius to give her further instruction.

"It's not like he's very helpful, you know, because each time I go to have a lesson, he turns himself into that great black dog, and brags about it afterward," said Treasure, who was very much annoyed; Lily and Laurel listened on sympathetically. The race for the Quidditch Cup were on, and practice was being held every other day. Laurel was feeling the strain as well, but at least Remus was trying to help her through all her work. On the days that Treasure didn't have practice, she had managed to cram in her homework, but was often left working over the weekends as well; all the while Sirius was so inconsiderately trying to tempt her to take a walk with him outside.

"And you give in, more than you refuse," Lily said pointedly, scratching her nose distractedly with her quill and leaving black ink marks across it. Treasure had decided not to mention this to her friend, glaring angrily up through her dark tresses and going back to scribbling her Potions essay. "Damn True Potion," she muttered.

Lily had managed her time so that every night she would get in her Animagus practice, and Treasure refused to put anything before that. Eventually, James had caught wind of it, but when he suggested to Lily that he help, she cursed him so badly that his ears were left twitching for a week after. He was considerably colder to her after that, but Treasure didn't miss all the times that he would gaze at her best friend during Charms class. He had misdirected on of his cushions so badly that it smacked Sirius in the face, and he fell backwards into Treasure. The both of them then proceeded to zoom every cushion in the room at James, and poor Professor Flitwick had quite a bit of trouble calming down the class after that.

Perhaps the most stress came from the upcoming O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, that each fifth year student would be taking at the end of the year. Lily was studying mostly for her History exams, which would be cumulative. Treasure was studying frantically for everything, but did notice that her Transfiguration skills had gone up since attempting Animagus. In fact, all three girls noticed this. It, however, did not help them a bit in becoming Animagi.

Treasure nearly had a break down with Pettigrew offered her tips on the transformation.

April holidays were coming up quite quickly, but not too many students were looking forward to them. They knew that the teachers would not let them enjoy this holiday, in fact quite the contrary - they were dreading the work load.

"For every essay that you must write, do not forget that I have to mark a hundred more," Professor McGonagall said tersely. "So don't assign any!" Treasure said loudly, and the rest of the class muttered their agreement.

At the moment, however, all three girls were in an empty classroom, practicing very hard on each of their animals. They sat cross-legged, each on a cushion, breathing deeply. "The first step into becoming an Animagus is learning to relax," Lily snapped, weeks ago, as Treasure snickered. They all quickly came to realize that it was easier said than done, and Laurel continuously complained that how could she possibly clear her mind when she and Remus had just emerged from a broom closet only minutes before.

"Kindly keep your extra curricular activities to yourself," Treasure said, wrinkling her nose even as she put her own hand to her neck. Evidently her arm was not the only place Sirius seemed to find desirable. Laurel waggled her eyebrows at Treasure, who blushed and stared up at the ceiling, trying desperately to clear her mind. Lily was the first to rise, and, squeezing what seemed like every muscle in her body, sprouted a tail, ears, and a bit of a snout. However, her transformation stopped at that. Laurel and Treasure were watching interestedly from the floor.

"Well, that is certainly the farthest I've ever gotten!" Lily said happily, her voice strangely hoarse. Laurel nodded, standing up and muttering the reversal spell. Lily found her seat again, and now it was Laurel's turn. She stood up and closed her eyes, pursing her lips until she, too, sprouted at tail and ears. She held up her hands and looked at them in awe, seeing claws and fur that looked as if she'd slipped her hands into very odd gloves.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of it," she said happily as Treasure said "_Reverso,_" and Laurel's wolfish attributes vanished. Treasure stood up, heartened by the success of her friends, and closed her eyes, clenching her teeth and fists. She waited on bated breath, envisioning the raven that she was supposed to be turning into. She could feel her friends holding their breath as well. When she finally couldn't stand it anymore, she opened her eyes and looked around. She brought her hands to her face…no, no beak…she ran her hands over her face and arms, each devoid of feathers.

"Didn't I change…even a little?" she asked, her voice breaking with disappointment. Laurel stood up and looked sadly at Treasure, "Well, you've got feathers in your hair…" she said hopefully. Treasure tugged at her hair anxiously, her face falling as she pulled out the owl feathers.

"I was in the Owlery today," she said miserably, gathering up her books. "Wait, Tres, come on, you can try again!" Lily said, feeling incredibly sorry for her friend. Treasure shrugged it off, reaching a hand for the door. "Forget it, Lils, if after this long all I've managed is a handful of feathers…then I'm worse a witch than Peter is a wizard!" And with that, she left the room.

Sirius walked right into Treasure as she hurried down the hall, wiping angrily at her eyes. "Hey, Treasure, I was just looking for you…what's wrong?" he asked, a frown of concern on his face. She shrugged, hoisting her books and not looking him in the face. She tried to walk past, but he blocked her way and took her by the arm. He pulled her into yet another room, a room furnished with a couch and a gentle fireplace. It was cozy, and, Sirius noted with surprise, there was a box of tissues next to the couch. Boxes of Chocolate Frogs littered the floor, among other piles of sweets. If he hadn't been so worried about Treasure, he would have been thrilled.

"Tell me what's wrong?" he asked quietly, sitting her on the couch. She threw down her books angrily, "Why, so you can go and…and turn into a dog, just to prove you c-can? Lily is nearly there with the fox thing, and Laurel is right on her tail - literally - with the wolf…and I can't even sprout a few feathers!" Treasure said miserably, letting him pull her closer and hold up a tissue. She wiped her eyes. "And I'm probably going to f-fail all my exams, and I'm not doing well on the team, and if Peter could turn himself into a rat and I can't even…"

"Shh," Sirius said, alarmed. Treasure was usually very cheerful, not worrying about her grades and what not. All the times she'd skived off Potions to sneak into Honeydukes with him! And now she sat shaking with anger next to him, plainly petrified about all the upcoming events.

"What are you talking about, Tres? You'll do fine on the exams, you do well in class (well, when you go) -" she shoved him away and he just grabbed her arm and pulled her back down again. " - And you're doing perfectly well in Quidditch, we've only lost one game this year," he continued. "And if you're worried about Peter turning himself into a rat, well, you shouldn't be 'cause that's not exactly a big stretch for him, is it?" Sirius asked, finally earning a smile from Treasure. She sniffled and leaned her head on his shoulder, "You're really horrible to poor Peter," she said, not sounding in the least bit sympathetic. She seemed to be very angry with him lately for being able to turn himself into a rat. She picked up handful of Chocolate Frogs, opening them carefully so that they wouldn't go hopping all about the room.

"Are you better now?" he whispered, tipping her head up slightly to look her in the eyes. She smiled and sniffled again. "You're lessons don't do much, Padfoot," she said, pouting at him "They don't?" he asked. "Except make me feel like an idiot," she added thoughtfully. He raised his eyebrows. She glared at him, "All you do is turn _yourself_ into an animal. That does very little to help _me_." she said. He grinned sheepishly, "Well I thought you liked it," he said. She looked at him witheringly, "Oh yeah, Black, a real turn-on, that is," she muttered, picking up her books and making to leave to room. Sirius tailed her, grabbing her arms and turning her around, kissing her rather unexpectedly on the lips.

"Better?" he asked, pulling away after a few long moments. She yawned, "Yeah, but I'm still not a bird, am I?"

Easter holidays came with the dreaded amount of work. Fifth year students were given an essay in every subject, two in Transfiguration and Potions, and a practice test about goblin wars and witch burnings of the Middle Ages. Treasure was sitting next to Sirius in the library, giving very dirty looks to her parchment and quills.

"They're not going to do it for you, Tres," Lily said, walking in and looking very angry that James was following her. He seemed to have forgiven her for the Twitchy Ears hex. She looked as though she wanted to jinx him again.

Treasure sighed and picked up her quill, beginning to do the practice test. She found that it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. "I can't believe that I'm doing my homework on the first day of holidays," she grumbled, finishing the multiple choice questions easily. Lily smiled and began highlighting text for her Charms essay.

"Was it Eadric the Evil, or Bregan the Berated who caused the war over Princess Priscella the Pungent?" Treasure asked.

"Neither," Lily said smartly, "It was Uric the Unbearable." Treasure shot her best friend a very nasty look indeed. James was the only one who was not doing any of his work, it was evident that he would rather play with a tiny Snitch he'd taken from the last Gryffindor victory. Lily kicked him violently under the table as she got up to look for another book. James glared and rubbed his leg, stuffing the Snitch into his bag and beginning his Charms essay. They all worked in silence for nearly a half hour, and Treasure sighed triumphantly as she reached the essay part of the test. "Nearly there!" she said, sharpening her quill and dipping it back into the inkpot. They were joined by Remus and Laurel, who both walked in rather red in the face. Treasure looked up as they sat down. "Remus, you have lipstick all over your face," she said, tossing him a mirror and a handkerchief. Laurel grinned wickedly from behind a large book of Potion ingredients.

"Finally!" Treasure said, exasperated, as she pushed aside her test paper to dry. She rubbed her face tiredly, they'd only been working for an hour and she was exhausted already. She pulled her Transfiguration assignment towards herself, determined to finish both of the essay tonight, and start her Charms essay. "This has got to be illegal," Lily muttered, adding the final period to her Charms essay and beginning her practice test.

"Oh, Evans, are you overworked?" James asked, shooting her a grin. She didn't bother to answer, deciding to gather up her books and move to the opposite side of the table. Sirius laughed at the look on James' face.

It was well into the night before they were kicked out of the library. Treasure had successfully managed to finish both of her Transfiguration essays, and was nearly done with Charms. She was very proud of herself indeed, and intended to finish up her Potions homework and Divination the following day. That would leave her with Care of Magical Creatures, which was one of the easiest subjects considering it consisted largely of making sketches; and Astronomy, which consisted of star charts.

Sirius was rather annoyed, Treasure had barely talked to him all day, so intent was she to finish all her homework. He sat grudgingly in the library, and the only reason that he had progressed so far with _his_ work was because he didn't want to leave Treasure in the library.

"What's that?" Treasure said, rubbing her eyes as she paused by a window. Lily and James were walking ahead, arguing again, and Remus had left to walk Laurel to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Sirius paused, shouldering the massive number of books that he was carrying, both for himself and for Treasure. All she was carrying was a few rolls of parchment. He glared out the window, seeing a pitch black carriage pulled by black horses pulling up in front of the school. Out walked a tall woman, with dark hair, wearing fancy robes of black. Following her was what looked like a large cat, it was as dark as her robes. A jaguar. Her skin was moon-pale and she seemed to be walking with -

"_Snivellus?_" Sirius muttered in disbelief. "I thought he was going out with that cow, Eva," Treasure smirked at her boyfriend. "Then who's this girl he's with?" she asked. Sirius shrugged, a gesture that was done with difficulty, considering the load he was carrying. Treasure made to take some of the books from him, but he refused to give them to her. She rolled her eyes behind his back, and they continued walking. "She's very pretty," Treasure said, watching the woman as they passed by every window. Sirius grunted, his arms numb from the weight of the books. Treasure smiled and took a few from him, so he would be able to see. He glared. They had reached the portrait, and Treasure said the password so the would be allowed in.

"When's the next full moon?" she asked quietly, standing outside the staircase to the girl's dormitory. "Couple of days," he said, putting the books down with a sigh. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him shyly, "You're gonna have to help me for the next two weeks, okay? I need all the help I can possibly get to become an Animagus, so don't slack off on me,"

"We don't _slack off_," Sirius said indignantly. Treasure grinned, "Fine, then you can't distract me…" Sirius kissed her on the lips, and Violet and Isabelle, who had been sitting by watching, huffed off. Treasure pulled away, "None of that," she teased, "That's why I never learn anything,"

"I wouldn't say that you don't learn _anything_," Sirius said suggestively. Treasure shoved him away with a barely concealed grin, "Goodnight, Black," she said, running up the stairs and flopping down on her bed with a huge grin on her lips.

By the first Monday of the holidays, everyone in the group was done with their homework. They had found out that the woman who was seen entering Hogwarts two nights ago was a cousin of Snape's, a Kathrynn S. Sabre. She was seventeen, in her final year at a private Salem school for witchcraft, and was visiting for the Easter holidays. It was rumored that she was dating Lucius Malfoy, a member of the Ministry.

Laurel eyed her nastily in the hall way. "She looks like a banshee," she snapped. Of course, this was not true. Kathrynn was anything but a banshee. She had jet black hair that went past her shoulders, and curiously violet eyes. Her skin was pale and smooth, in fact, she looked as if she could be a brunette veela. Laurel detested her.

Kathrynn wore silk black robes, obviously very expensive, and onyx jewelry. She work spiked stiletto boots, and even though she'd only been at Hogwarts for two days, there were legions of boys who followed her around. From the many offers of tours, she must have been nearly as familiar with the castle as Treasure was.

James regarded her with interest, and if she had been anyone but Snape's cousin, he would have gone up to her as an effort to make Lily jealous. But seeing as how Kathrynn was cousin to James' worst enemy, he disliked her.

Kathrynn had not given anyone a reason to detest her, except for the fact that she had a fan club. She was not biased towards the Gryffindor, or any other house for that matter, regardless of that fact that Severus was her cousin. However, she spent most of her time with the Slytherins.

Treasure was too busy with Quidditch practice, which was steadily improving, and her daily Animagus lessons. James and Remus had also stepped in to help her, and it wasn't long before she had two large, black wings. She was elated, "Do you reckon I could fly with these?" she said, flapping them about excitedly. "It would probably be best not to attempt it," Sirius said, muttering the reversal spell and was nearly knocked over as Treasure threw her arms around him happily.

Lily, of course, knew nothing of the fact that James' was helping Treasure, and she would have had a fit if she did find out. She just assumed that Treasure was improving of her own accord.

The girl's were sitting in their dormitory, as tonight it was a full moon. Treasure sighed, looking up from where she was cutting her Hogwarts skirt a good five inches shorter. Lily was watching her, perturbed. "I'm bored, I wish we were Animagi already," Laurel said, toying with the bracelet that Remus had given her. She was seated by the window, watching the full moon sadly. Lily was reading the book of Charms that Treasure had given her for Christmas. Treasure's birthday had just passed, at the end of March, and she was the last one to turn sixteen out of their group. She stitched the loose ends of her skirt up and dug through her diminished pile of sweets, remnants of her birthday celebration. It was turning out to be a very long night.

A/N: Okay, I know that ending sucked, but just wait. The next chapter is gonna be fun, I think…the chapter was stretched out really long, and I think it's rather boring, but whatever…


	18. In the Lair of the Succubus

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

Author's Note: BACK AGAIN!!! WOOOOOT!

The girls had decided that every time a full moon rolled around, they would have a slumber party in the Gryffindor fifth year girls' dormitory. It was the last night of the full moon for this month, and Laurel had been steadily getting more and more bitter. She had groused on numerous occasions that there shouldn't be any reason to stay away from the Forbidden Forest, so long as they were careful. But she had promised Remus that she wouldn't go running around at night until she could successfully transform into her own animal, and so indoors she remained.

They stayed up in the Common Room until three o' clock in the morning each full moon night, practicing their transformation either physically or reading up on the theory. Treasure had been practicing extra with James and Sirius, so she had caught up with Laurel and Lily by now. She had gotten as far as a pair of enormous black wings, but when she jumped off one of the tables to try to fly around, she had crashed unceremoniously onto the floor. It was the first time Laurel had laughed in three nights.

Lily was sitting in a squashy arm chair, reading up once again on the technique behind Animagi transformations. "Treasure, it says here that you really have to think about the animal you want to become…" she trailed off at the very cross look on her friend's face. "What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Treasure demanded, flapping around her wings awkwardly. Laura was laying on a couch with her face in her hands, swishing around her bushy white tail.

Lily stood up and sat on a table cross-legged, closing her eyes. Treasure eyed her warily, and smiled as bushy red ears appeared on Lily's head, and her eyes became rounder and larger. By now, Lily was able to transform the more detailed parts of the fox, having each of her fingernails turned into sharp little claws and sometimes even her teeth were pointed. It looked as though Lily was going to be the first successful Animagus among them.

"This is stupid," Laurel said peevishly, picking up her wand and performing the reversal spell on herself. The tail vanished instantly. Treasure and Lily looked sympathetically at Laurel. "Don't worry, we'll get it eventually," Treasure said hopefully. Laurel said nothing, only headed up to the dorms where Lily had conjured a cot for her.

Treasure climbed into her own bed, "Can you believe that April break is almost over?" she moaned, covering her face tiredly with her hands. They had finished all their homework in the first two days and were left with plenty of free time for whatever else they wished to do - unfortunately, Lily made sure that studying profusely for the upcoming O.W.L. exams was something they did for at least three hours a day. Treasure would never succumb to admitting it, but she was grateful.

The only thing that took Laurel's mind off of their inability to become Animagi within a week was the new fashion line that Treasure seemed intent on designing. Treasure dug through all her old skirts, all the uniform skirts that she was forced to wear all week long, and cut them up into asymmetrical skirts and mini skirts and pleated jumpers that she stitched magically into not-so-conservative pseudo-uniforms. Laurel had jumped on the bandwagon as soon as she saw them, and now all the two did at night was cut up more fabric that Treasure had gotten at Hogsmeade from all the times she snuck off there instead of going to Potions.

Lily didn't care for the short skirts, having had enough revealing attire on Halloween.

A topic of conversation that the girls had more often than not was the new girl, Kathrynn. Laurel was still adamant in her in her dislike for the girl, who still had an army of admirers.

"_I_ don't think she's that pretty, personally…awfully pale…sickly looking, like Snape," Laurel said indignantly, as a boy that she had dated the previous year, Richard Draken, went chasing after Kathrynn carrying a cloak - Kathrynn was stepping out for a walk across the grounds. They didn't seem to understand that she was currently unavailable and out of reach, she was dating Lucius Malfoy. Treasure remarked about this quite snidely, "He's a good deal older than her, isn't he?" she asked.

"No, not really," Lily answered. "He's only about twenty-two,"

"I heard he's a right boring old bloke - and mean too," Laurel said, examining her perfect nails. Treasure hid her smile behind her hair.

"Why is she here, anyway?" she asked curiously. "No doubt visiting her slime cousin, Snape," said Laurel viciously. Snape had made a point of snooping around each month when Remus was off - he was dead curious as to what was going on. Laurel threatened to curse him if he didn't leave them alone, but he merely stared at her and walked away. Eva had taken to calling Laurel and Remus the "Creature Feature Couple", which made the Marauders and Company very nervous, because it seemed that more people suspected Remus of his being a werewolf. Laurel was in increasingly bad moods as of late.

The girls were whispering by wand light, annoyed that they couldn't plan their own monthly adventures as the boys did. "Then again," Treasure said, grinning, "We have enough monthly events, not usually of the pleasant," she said. Laurel and Lily nodded, giggling.

"Hey, Tres," Laurel said slyly. Treasure looked up, "What?" Laurel was grinning as she leaned over - she was seated on Lily's bed - and pushed Treasure's hair aside, illuminating her neck. "Treasure!" Lily admonished. Treasure flushed, knocking Laurel's wand away and pressing a hand to her neck. "It's nothing…I burned myself while blow-drying my hair," Treasure said. Laurel snorted. "Tres, from the state of your hair, I think it's safe to say that you don't blow-dry it…your wand would explode," she said. Treasure tried to look offended, but gave up as she started laughing. "Too true," she said, smoothing back her unruly hair.

Lily was still staring fixedly at Treasure's neck. "I don't understand why you let them do that…" she said. Treasure looked up, "Do what?" she asked stupidly. Laurel rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal, Lils, you'll get one…one of these days…James is just biding his ti-"

SMACK. Laurel was knocked off the bed with the force of Lily's pillow. Treasure gave a joyous shout, not caring whether or not she woke up Violet and Isabelle, - in fact, hoping for it - and pounced, thrashing her own pillow around a bit violently.

They tromped around for a good quarter of an hour until Violet shrieked for them to stop. Then they lay, each sprawled pink faced on her own bed with feathers in her hair, catching their breath until they fell asleep.

The Marauders were not present at breakfast the next day, a fact which Treasure and Laurel regarded with worry. They sat together, munching on toast and bacon, craning their necks every few minutes to look around for Sirius or Remus. Lily rolled her eyes, "Honestly, did it every occur to you two that maybe they wanted to sleep in? After all," she lowered her voice, "Running around with a werewolf _could_ be a bit tiring," Lily noticed that Kathrynn was also looking around more often than not. She mentioned this to Treasure and Laurel.

Laurel didn't even care about what Lily had said about mentioned, and Treasure didn't seem remotely perturbed either. They forced themselves to calm down as they went out for a scrimmage Quidditch match. It lasted for two hours, Lily patiently reading in the stands below as her friends zoomed around happily on their broomsticks. Then they went in for a quick lunch, and up to an empty classroom to practice their Animagi training for another three hours. By five they were starving, going down for a dinner feast and then up to the library to study. They studied until nine and went back to the Gryffindor Common Room with their heads throbbing.

"Sirius?…Violet, have you seen Sirius?" Treasure asked, not even deterred from the fact that it was Violet she was asking. Violet smirked, "Oh, did he finally leave you, Belle?" she asked. Treasure walked away, and spotted Peter Pettigrew sitting in a corner, looking frightened.

"Peter! Peter, where's Sirius?" Treasure demanded. "And Remus?" Laurel snapped. "And James," Lily said, shrugging as Treasure and Laurel turned to stare at her. "He was with them, too, wasn't he?" she said defensively, blushing. Peter trembled, "They didn't get back yet?" he asked, his voice quavering. Treasure's eyes widened, "No, why?"

"We got s-separated last night…we were in Hogsmeade at first, and then we went up the mountains to explore the caves up there…"

"What do you mean, _you got separated?_" Laurel demanded. Peter looked frightened, "Well, I'm not exactly the fastest when I transform," he said meekly. "And the other rats…they were saying that up in the caves…it was dangerous,"

"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL SIRIUS AND JAMES THIS?" Treasure shrieked. Peter winced, "We were running about with a werewolf…if I transformed back, I might have gotten bitten!" he said.

"Where did you last see them?" Treasure demanded. Peter looked as though he was frightened that she'd curse him. Treasure didn't think that would be such a bad idea. "Just up the t-trail to the mountains…then I turned back…you could still see Hogsmeade from where I was," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Laurel, go get your broom from the Hufflepuff dorm and meet me outside the one-eyed witch statue." Treasure said firmly. Lily stared at Treasure, "What are you on about?" she asked. Treasure was glaring at Peter. "They should have been back this _morning_," she said nastily, turning around and heading up to her own dorm to get her broom.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Lily asked, hurrying to keep up. Treasure was a good deal taller than Lily, and had longer legs. "We're going to find them, of course."

"But…why don't we just wait 'til morning? I'm sure Remus and Sirius can take care of themselves…James too," Lily added. "Well, they would have been back by this morning…and Remus is not always in top shape after a full moon,"

"He does look a bit peaky afterwards, but that's no reason -"

"Lily, are you going to come or not?" Treasure asked, pulling out her broom and a cloak, it still got a bit cool at night. Lily hurried over and pulled at her cloak as well, as Treasure hastily tied back her hair. "I don't have a broom," she said. Treasure shrugged, offering a wry grin. Lily had the idea that Treasure was just itching for an adventure.

Laurel was standing rather confused by the one-eyed, hunchbacked witch. Treasure and Lily hurried over, both with their wands out and lit. "What do you presume we do, Treasure?" Laurel said. Treasure didn't bother to answer, only tapped the hump on the witch's back with her wand, muttering "_Dissendium_," as she did so.

Both Lily and Laurel watched in amazement as a hole big enough for one person to squeeze through opened up on the witch's hump. Treasure darted through and started running, leaving Lily and Laurel to run behind her. The hump would close on its own, eventually.

"What…is this place?" Lily asked, breathing heavily after a few moments of silence.

"It's a secret passage," Treasure explained, nearly as breathless but not willing to slow down. "No shit," Laurel muttered, nearly tripping as they had to climb stairs. "It leads to the Honeyduke's Cellar," Treasure said, taking the steps two and three at a time. It took them a good few minutes to reach the top where Treasure hastily shoved at an inconspicuous tile and pulled herself through to Honeydukes.

She pulled Lily up after her, and turned around to give Laurel a hand up.

"And you wanted to get late night sweets why?" Laurel grumbled. Treasure glared. "Because Peter said that they were in Hogsmeade last night…there might be a chance that they're still here…as soon as I find Sirius I'm going to tell him that we have to expand the Marauder's Map past Hogwarts grounds, I swear," she muttered to herself.

They ran out of Honeydukes without so much as looking at the candy, shivering in the cool night air. "Mount," Treasure said, climbing onto her own broom. Laurel sat gracefully atop her _Shooting Star_, and Lily climbed onto the back of Treasure's _Lightning 957_. Lily held nervously onto Treasure's robes as they rose higher, not very fond of broomsticks or heights. Laurel's shining silver hair was glinting as it reflected the waning moon. Treasure was mumbling something about wishing she had an Invisibility Cloak.

"Wait!" Lily said suddenly, and both brooms halted in mid air. Lily pulled out her wand and said "_Point me,_", and the wand rotated lazily in the air before stopping to point north. "The mountain's are that way," Laurel said. Treasure nodded, and off they flew.

"Look!" Laurel said, pointing down. They flew lower, Lily nearly strangling Treasure as they descended, and saw unmistakable footprints of a rather large dog, a stag, and of course -

"Remus," Laurel whispered, speeding up considerably and staying close to the ground so she could follow the footprints. Treasure was right on her tail, and Lily seemed to feel better now that they were closer to the ground.

"Who's that?" Lily asked, peering over Treasure's shoulder. A tall, dark figure was running ahead of them. Laurel shot forward, "Hey!" she called. Lily smacked her forehead. "Oh great…why don't we just beg to be injured?" she muttered. The figure stopped and turned around. Laurel made a very rude sound in the back of her throat.

It was Kathrynn Sabre. The tall girl was glaring at them, her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "We could ask you the same damn question," she snarled. Kathrynn's violet eyes flashed as she looked disdainfully upon Laurel, who was looking back in very much the same manner.

"We really don't have time for this," Treasure said loudly. Kathrynn nodded, "By all means, then, be on your way," she said. Treasure looked as though she wanted to say something very nasty, but refrained. "We will be," she said curtly, making to fly past her.

"You're looking for three boys, are you?" Kathrynn asked. Treasure stopped her broom so quickly that Lily slid forward. "And if we are?" Treasure asked coldly, glaring at the tall, pale girl in front of her.

"I know who took them," she said.

"I bet it was you!" Laurel shrieked angrily, whipping out her wand. Treasure grabbed Laurel's wrist. "How do you know?" Lily piped up from behind Treasure, taking out her wand too. Treasure would have rather asked WHO took them, but Kathrynn was already answering, a grim smile on her lips.

"Because they took my cousin as well," she said.

"Who, Snivellus?" Laurel asked, rather crudely. Kathrynn's hand twitched, as though she was just itching to hex Laurel into oblivion.

"Where?" Lily asked. Kathrynn shrugged. "I'm guessing up in those caves," she said, pointing. "You should come with us," Treasure said quietly. _"What?!"_ Laurel gasped. Treasure glared. "We need to find them, now. Lily…ride with Laurel. Kathrynn, you're with me. Now, who did you say took James and Sirius?"

"And Remus," Laurel said angrily. Treasure nodded. "And Severus," Lily added, shrugging once again when her friends turned to look at her. Kathrynn sat on the broom easily. "Well, seeing as how all those who were taken were males…and they were around mountains and caves…I would say that it's the work of a succubus," Kathrynn said quietly.

"A what?" Laurel asked.

"A succubus…female demon…we studied them in Care of Magical Creatures, remember? In our third year…according to what the Professor said, succubae are related to sirens and veelas…I would have thought you'd know that, Laurel…They are more closely related to veela, because they can shape shift…They usually appear in human form, as incredibly beautiful females…to lure men to them…"

"But…well, Sirius and James and Remus…they're only sixteen…that hardly qualifies as men," Treasure remarked as they flew along quickly.

"Not only men, although, unless I am mistaken - and you must correct me if I'm wrong Laurel, is it? - they prefer men. Stronger…" Kathrynn said, tossing Laurel an icy glare. Laurel flushed.

"Stronger for what?" Treasure demanded.

"When succubae lure their victims, they then perform an act of passion - the more, shall I say…zealous, the better - and drain their victim of their energy,"

Treasure and Laurel were both blushing now.

"But…they're victims…can refuse, can't they?" Treasure asked.

"Well, they _can_. But they don't usually…a succubus is, as your friend said, incredibly beautiful. Six feet tall, long black hair and skin that looks as if its been carved from ivory…it would take a very strong man to resist such a woman," Kathrynn sounded a bit amused.

"Well, your damn cousin is in the same spot, so I wouldn't be sounding so happy about it," Laurel snapped angrily, while Treasure sped her broom up even more.

"We should be nearly there," Lily said.

Treasure thought it would be a difficult place to find, but it really wasn't. There were a handful of caves scattered about the mountain, but they headed for the biggest one. "In there," Kathrynn said, pointing a delicate hand. The cave was, of course, dark, and the each of the girls lit their wands, still on their broomsticks but so low that their toes could brush the ground.

"They'll be at the deepest part of the cave," Lily said nervously, holding her wand up a bit higher. Treasure narrowed her eyes, happy that she couldn't see any scattered bones or what not. In fact, it was completely silent, and very, very clean. They traveled for what had to be at least a quarter of an hour before coming upon a slightly lit part of the cave.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Treasure whispered, and Kathrynn slid lightly from the broom and took a few tentative steps forward.

"Who dares to enter this lair?" said a breathy voice from the shadows. Lily could just make out the faint outline of a very tall woman, a glow seemed to hover around her skin, the palest silver. Laurel slid forward too. Treasure had no idea what she intended to do.

"This is _my_ lair," Laurel said angrily. Treasure's eyes widened…_What the hell?_

The succubus stepped forward - not noticing Kathrynn as she slid around and walked silently past her - into the light of their combined wands. "Is that so? Who are you, little veela…" she asked, smiling almost flirtatiously at them. Treasure felt as though she would be sick.

"Laurel Lovegood, and you are not wanted here," Laurel said bravely, lifting her wand. The succubus smiled further. "A mistake you have made, little veela. One, my cousin demons do not carry wands… nor do they have such common human names…but you are welcome to stay and share this lair," the succubus added with another snide smile. Lily gripped her wand tighter.

"You've taken our friends," she said loudly. The succubus watched her. "Such a pretty siren, aren't you? Red hair…green eyes…we could be very happy here," she said. Lily looked disgusted, holding her wand out at ready in front of her.

"We've come for our friends," Treasure said strongly, still perched easily on her broom as she inched forward, her wand out. "Do not make us take them back forcefully," she warned. The succubus laughed, a deep, breathy laugh.

"You have all of sixteen years…even with your magic you could do little but tickle me," she said. Treasure didn't know what to do.

"They're here!" came Kathrynn's voice from deeper in the cave. Treasure shot forward on her broom, knocking over the succubus, and Lily zoomed forward too as Laurel hopped on behind her. They sped away deeper into the cave, hearing the screech of the succubus behind them.

Treasure leapt off her broom upon seeing Sirius and knelt down beside him. He was pale, and asleep. James was next to him, in a similar state. Obviously, they'd known that Remus would transform back into his human form and had given him their cloaks to wear.

"Silly little girls try to invade my lair," the succubus said, raising her arms. A few lone candles lit, and Treasure could see that indeed the books were true. The woman was tall and thin, but shapely. She wore a thin dress made of blue silk and no shoes. Her hair was as long as Treasure's, and as raven dark…but it was shiny and thick and not unruly. Her eyes were a sickly yellow, as opposed to Treasure's gold, her skin was white and smooth, and she had perfect features. But she was angry now.

Huge black bat wings had erupted from her shoulder blades, and her nails grew long and resembled claws. Laurel was the only one who did not seem surprised by this.

"We should try to Stun her…all of us at the same time…grab the guys' wands too," Laurel said. Treasure picked up Sirius's wand, Lily had James's, Laurel, who was kneeling by Remus, noticed he didn't have one. Kathrynn was already standing, her wand and Snape's ready in front of her.

"You should let us go…it would be best for you that way." Treasure said, flipping her hair back and standing, both wands gripped tightly in her hands. The succubus smiled, "Ah, yes…he is your lover then?" she asked, sneering down at Sirius. "He was the easiest to capture…very similar, you and I are, at least that's what he seemed to think."

Treasure snarled and flung a hex at the succubus, who waved it away as if it were a fly. She hurled back a ball of red flames at Treasure, who barely had time to shout _"Protego!" _and send the flame back to the succubus.

The succubus had not been expecting this, and dodged her own fire narrowly. She looked wary now, her eyes were flashing red. She hadn't expected these four young witches to find her lair, nor had she expected them to be brave enough to invade it.

"On three," Laurel said. All of the girls raised their wands. The succubus looked nervous. "One…two…"

"THREE!" Lily shouted, distracting the succubus as red light erupted from the tips of every wand, seven in all. Each hit the succubus square in the chest, and she tumbled without a sound to the floor of the cave.

"She'll be out for a while," Kathrynn said helpfully, conjuring a stretcher for Severus and making her way to the mouth of the cave without another word. Treasure knelt beside Sirius again, pocketing his wand and setting aside her own. She touched his face gently, he was the palest of them all.

James was already waking up, seeing Lily and having a cheeky grin cross his face. She glared and shoved his wand into his hand, pulling him up reluctantly. "Come to be my hero, Evans?" he asked. Lily said nothing, only waited until the other two boys awoke. Remus was the next to wake up, looking up at Laurel and smiling. She had conjured up some clothing for him and everyone turned around so he could dress. They walked out, Remus leaning heavily on Laurel, to join Kathrynn and Snape.

"He's not awake yet?" James asked worriedly, looking down at his best friend. Treasure shook her head, watching as James muttered a Revival spell. Sirius opened his eyes wearily.

"What a night," he said, sitting up and pressing a hand to his head. James grinned, as if their capture and almost death was amusing to him. Lily scowled, "James Potter, you are the most immature-uncaring-ungrateful wretch I've ever had the misfortune to meet!" she said, marching out of the cave and dragging Laurel's broom behind her.

"Evans…Evans, wait!" James said, offering an apologetic smile to Sirius as he hurried out after her, avoiding the Stunned succubus as best he could in the narrow cave. Treasure smiled at Sirius.

"Gone about kissing other women, have you?" she asked, buttoning up his shirt absentmindedly. Sirius grimaced, "You call that _thing _a woman?" he asked, casting a nervous glance at the still form of the succubus. Treasure grinned. "So how did all of you end up here?" she asked, helping him to his feet and picking up her wand. She pulled his out of his pocket and handed it back to him, and walked over to her broom.

"Remus went off chasing a woman last night…it looked like you, Treasure, at least from a dog's point of view…and we tore after him…I was so afraid he'd hurt you…and then we were here. Out of the full moon, Remus transformed. And then that _thing_ was there, and we knew it wasn't you…Remus was weak, and James and I tried to fight her off but -" Sirius blushed. Treasure mounted her broom and he clambered on behind her.

"You, Sirius Black, are entirely too easily seduced," she said as they flew out of the cave and into the cool night air.

A/N: I know the succubus battle/fight thing was a bit anticlimactic…but oh well…But in my brother's DnD version of the Monster Book of Monsters, it said that succubae weren't really fighters…hence the short fight scene. Hope you enjoyed…I think this chapter was the most fun I've ever had in this story.

Love always,

-Crystyna


	19. Of Purebloods, Parents, and Peculiar Beh...

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

Author's Note: SCHOOL'S OUT!!! celebrates This is chapter TWENTY! Oh my word. I should throw a party…this is the FIRST STORY I've _EVER WRITTEN _to have TWENTY CHAPTERS! As in, two sets of ten chapters, four sets of five chapters, ten sets of two chapters. I am so the math genius. is in a state of shock

April holidays soon came to a close but Lily, Treasure, and Laurel did not feel the same pre-exam jitters as they usually would. Thanks to Lily, they had made good use of the Easter break, studying every day. In Treasure's opinion, if the professors knew how hard the trio had studied over the break, they would stop giving them homework all together.

"You know, I think we could just take the O.W.L.s right now," she said, sitting comfortably next to Sirius in the Gryffindor Common Room and completely ignoring the open book in her lap. Her face was flushed and she was grinning foolishly, Sirius in very much the same state. James rolled his eyes, and Peter tutted disgustedly, glaring at Sirius (something he usually never dared do). Laurel and Remus were the only one's who didn't seem entirely offended, mostly because they were preoccupied as well. Lily, who had been ignoring whatever her two best friends had been doing - and with good reason - said "Oh, no, we've got ever so much more to do. I mean, it was wise how we studied over the break, but we've got a month to go!"

"Don't fret, Evans, you'll be fine," James said, stretching and reaching to touch her hair. She snarled at him, snapping her book closed, still very angry at him for getting himself caught by a succubus. None of the Marauders, or Laurel or Treasure, knew why. "James Potter I don't know why you don't just give up," she said nastily, gathering her books and leaving to the dormitories.

"Aw, Evans wait!" he begged, walking right behind her halfway up the stairs. Lily did not seem bothered by this, and a moment later it was clear why. James came flying down the staircase - which was no longer a staircase. It had magically turned into a slide, and James, caught off guard, slid down head first; he landed in a heap at the foot of the stairs. The Marauders and everyone else in the Common Room roared with laughter. James, seeing no reason to stick around if Lily wasn't there, stomped up angrily to the boy's dormitories.

"They are gonna be married one day," Laurel said, claiming her lips long enough to speak.

Treasure grinned, pulling off the hair tie that had kept her hair back and laying it down among her books. She stood up and offered a hand to Sirius, pulling him up beside her. "What do you say to a walk?" she asked. He grinned offhand, "What, am I your dog now?" he quipped. She took his hand affectionately, "You know it," she said, and they disappeared out the portrait hole.

Peter was glowering from the squashy red armchair that he was sitting in. "What crawled up your ass, Wormtail?" Laurel asked, running a hand through her hair. It seemed the Remus was the only one capable of mussing it up. Peter said nothing and Laurel shrugged, tossing her watch onto the table (it had broken its clasp) and went back to previous activities. Peter sat up abruptly and gathered his books together, heading up to the boy's dormitory as well.

"Let's go to the forest," Treasure suggested, tugging Sirius along the path that lead there - whether or not he would agree remained to be seen. He didn't protest, but pulled out his wand upon entering. Treasure seemed to know where she wanted to go, and Sirius followed silently. They stopped at the clearing where he had stumbled upon Treasure months ago, as she gave treats to the unicorn Aelia.

Treasure whistled and it wasn't long before delicate hooves were heard as the forest seemed to get quieter, stiller. Sirius felt his breath catch as the golden form of the unicorn emerged. The unicorn seemed apprehensive, eyeing Sirius warily, and Treasure positioned herself between him and Aelia, still holding onto his hand. She stretched her other hand out to Aelia, who stood on quivering legs, ready to bolt at any moment.

"I know you haven't seen me for a while, love, but you remember me, don't you?" Treasure murmured. Aelia whinnied softly and stepped up to press her nose into Treasure's outstretched palm, and Treasure smiled. "There you go, beauty," she said, tugging Sirius next to her.

"She might let you pet her…as she's a baby, she'll be more open to males…full grown unicorns don't usually let men get near them," Treasure explained. Sirius nodded, he knew all this from Care of Magical Creatures.

Aelia, still wary, poked her horn at Sirius, who stayed very still so as not to get impaled. Treasure laughed, warding off Aelia's horn but not touching it, petting the unicorn's mane and pressing her face next to Aelia's, "Come on, love, be nice." she scolded. Aelia neighed and stood still, and Treasure tugged Sirius closer, making sure Aelia saw this.

"Unicorns are very smart," she explained to Sirius, who looked at her quizzically. Treasure figured that if Aelia saw Treasure, who she trusted, so close to a man, she would be willing to trust him as well. Treasure's theory was right, and slowly Aelia allowed Sirius to come closer, and finally put a tentative hand on her mane.

"She's beautiful," he said softly. Treasure smiled at him, pulling an apple out of the pocket of her robes and offering it to him. "Not for you," she said, rolling her eyes as he was about to take a bite out of it. He grinned sheepishly, and offered it to Aelia, who was staring at him reproachfully. As Aelia munched on the apple, and Sirius watched chuckling, Treasure regarded him thoughtfully. Aelia finished quickly, and lead them both over to sit underneath a large tree. It was still early, the sun still high and light was scattered on the forest floor. Treasure couldn't think of a dreamier place, leaning against Aelia, who had grown quite a bit since October. Sirius put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head against his shoulder, giggling as Aelia rooted around her robes for more sweets.

"You know, you never talk about your parents…or your brother. What's his name?" Treasure said after a few moments of peaceful silence. Sirius stiffened, "Regulus, a third year…he's in Slytherin," he said, as if this should explain it all. Treasure was quiet. "Should I talk about them?" Sirius asked. Treasure shrugged, confused at his change in demeanor. "I dunno…I just thought…well, I'm going to be staying in London this summer, my parents want to visit the places I've been spending so much time at, and I wouldn't mind meeting your parents," she coughed hastily. "That is, my father want to meet your parents…my father wants to meet _you_, actually, he wants to see the boy that I've been getting so close too," she felt her face get hot and wished that she'd never brought it up, seeing as how Sirius was gritting his teeth.

"Your parents don't want to meet mine," he said.

"Oh, but I just told you they do…"

"They don't, Tres, believe me," he said angrily, standing up so quickly that Aelia was startled and she jumped to her feet as well, and Treasure fell back against the tree. Sirius paced around angrily, and Treasure tossed him an injured look that he didn't see. She picked herself up off the ground, rubbing her head. Aelia, sensing the tension, whinnied nervously and pushed her head against Treasures hands, seeking reassurance.

"Shh," Treasure cooed at the unicorn, who was prancing on her feet now as Sirius clenched and unclenched his fists. Treasure watched sadly as Aelia skittishly trotted away, nickering apologetically towards Treasure as she left. Treasure sighed, and hesitantly walked up to Sirius. She would have been angry at him, but saw how upset he was and decided that now wasn't the time to be angry. She put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to face her, looking very upset.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, touching his face where his jaw was still clenched. She'd never seen him look so upset. "You're parents are Muggle-born, aren't they?" he asked. She shrugged, "Yes, but what has that got to do with anything?" she asked. He sighed. "My parents - my mother more than my father, although he has his fair share of biases - don't like Muggle-born witches or wizards…in fact, they don't have a much better view of them than people like Snape," he said bitterly.

"Oh," Treasure said softly, looking hurt. Sirius swore.

"Most of my family was Sorted into Slytherin…me being the current exception. I'm a bit of a black sheep, actually."

"Dog," Treasure offered a lop-sided smile, trying to ease some of the tension out of the conversation.

"My mother never approved. She thinks Slytherin is the only respectable House left in Hogwarts, as they accept only Purebloods."

"Well…I can still meet them, can't I?" she asked. "I'm not Muggle-born, technically I'm a first generation Pureblood," she continued stoutly. Sirius looked away. "My parents are not concerned with technicalities…they'll say you're a Mu-…I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet them. Hell, I don't even want to know them and I'm their damn son," he growled. Treasure wrapped her arms around him, "My parents really want to meet them, though…and you too…what am I supposed to tell my father?" she asked. Sirius said nothing. 

"So you're mother is a bit old fashioned…I'm sure I can win them over," Treasure said, smiling happily at him. He didn't have the heart to tell her that obviously she had a very bad perception of his mother. Sirius sighed again.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll love me," she teased. Sirius smiled, half-heartedly. "Why don't you tell your parents they can meet me first, Tres? Then we'll see about…my parents…" he looked very troubled. Treasure smiled, "Okay…its you my father wants to meet most, anyway, seeing as how I'm not dating your parents," she said and Sirius laughed, trying to force the thoughts of his parents out of his mind.

Lily was throwing her things about the girls' dormitory angrily, searching to no avail. Treasure walked in, her eyebrows drawn together worriedly and was hit in the face with Lily's spare robes as they flew through the air.

"Where _is it?!_" the red head screeched angrily. Treasure pulled the robes off her head and walked over to her best friend. "What's wrong, Lils?" she asked, smacked in the face with Lily's long red hair as she turned around angrily.

"I lost one of my earrings!" she wailed, collapsing onto the mess that was her bed. Treasure looked perplexed. "Er…and tearing apart the dorm is going to find them?" she asked, gesturing to the curtains that were hanging loosely, half off the rack that supported them. Lily glared.

"My father sent them to me for my sixteenth birthday, Treasure! They're really, really expensive! He said it took him _months_ to save up for them, and the only reason he was giving me such an expensive gift was because he was sure that I would be responsible…from what I hear, Petunia was furious…"

Treasure patted Lily on the back, a smile tugging at her lips. "WHAT ARE YOU SO BLOODY AMUSED ABOUT?!" Lily roared, very uncharacteristically loud. Treasure laughed out loud. "Lily, you're a witch…the best student in Charms in this year…surely you can find a Locator Charm or something?" Treasure asked. Lily flushed up to her hairline. "Right," she muttered, flipping through the huge_ Charms_ book that Treasure had given to her for Christmas.

"Here it is, Locator Spell…it's really simple," she said, as Treasure waved her wand around, magic-ing Lily's clothes and books back into her trunk and under her bed. Treasure was not paying too much attention, and Lily's robes would be rather wrinkled. Treasure was thinking of the conversation she'd had with Sirius earlier.

"_Locatus objectom!_" Lily cried, and from her wand came a willowy blue shape. It swirled around a bit, hovering a few feet above the ground, and then twisted into the shape of a rat.

"What?" Lily said angrily. "I must have done it wrong…maybe I'm in the wrong room…" she was speaking to herself as she stormed out of the dormitory. Tresaure followed, carrying the _Charms_ book with her. James and Sirius were sitting across from each other, playing wizarding chess. By the looks of it, it was a very close game. Remus and Laurel were sitting on the couch, Laurel seemed to have fallen asleep. Peter was watching Sirius and James' chess match.

"_Locatus objectom!_" Lily said again, waving her wand around a bit. The blue smoke flew around the room, and turned into a rat again. James and Sirius looked up curiously, and no one noticed how Peter paled and padded quietly out of the Common Room.

"Now what?" Lily wailed, sitting down on an armchair dejectedly. Treasure patted her arm quietly, "I'm sure it'll turn up, Lils, don't worry," She didn't want to mention how it was possibly that a rat had eaten Lily's prized earring "…Remus, could we borrow your niffler?" Treasure asked suddenly. Remus nodded from across the room, and made to get up.

"Oh, don't go now…" Lily said sadly, looking at how Laurel was asleep and leaning on her boyfriend…if he moved, she'd wake up. "We'll look for it tomorrow," Lily continued, getting up and ignoring how James was staring at her. She seemed to have gotten immune to it by now. She headed back up to the girls' dormitory. Treasure yawned and reached for a hair tie that she knew she'd left on the table. She looked puzzled when she couldn't find it.

"Must have moved it," she mumbled, getting up and following Lily to the dorm, calling a good night to the rest of the Marauders over her shoulder.

"Laurel, wake up," Remus whispered quietly. Sirius and James had already retired to the boys' dormitory, James remarking snidely about how serious Remus's relationship must have gotten, now that Laurel saw fit to sleep on him. Sirius snickered as Remus's ears turned pink. 

It was now nearly midnight, and the rest of Common Room had slowly been filtering out over the last hour. Remus and Laurel were left alone in the room, and out of the two of them Remus was the only one awake. The only sound was the crackling of the fire, which lasted even well into May, seeing as how the castle was always quite cool regardless of the summer months.

Laurel sighed and sat up slowly, her big green eyes fading quietly into silver as she looked upon Remus happily. "You know," she said, stretching and enjoying his full attention on her, "You look incredibly good with your hair like that," she finished, her eyes darkening to green again as she tugged on his ponytail. He smiled at her, "Don't you think its time for you to head back to the Hufflepuff Common Room?" he asked. She reached for her watch, which had mysteriously disappeared. Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment, giving her a look of extreme concentration, which made Remus chuckle because she still had not shaken off the lingering effects of having just awoken. "Where's my watch?" she mumbled, staring at the empty table as if it had swallowed it.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked. Laurel looked up at him, smiling again, her eyes silver. "Nothing," she said, her left hand delicately tracing her right wrist where the watch would have been. "I just…misplaced my watch, that's all," she said. Remus looked around, also staring accusingly at the table. "It was here with all the books, wasn't it?" he asked. She nodded, "Yeah, but it was a piece of crap anyway…the clasp was broken. I'm sure it'll turn up…" she said, standing up and heading to the Gryffindor's girls' dormitory. Remus looked befuddled. "Laurel…you're in Hufflepuff," he said. She shrugged, "Yeah, I know…but I'll be in a load of trouble if I'm caught walking around the corridors at -" she checked her wrist again, only to see that her watch wasn't there. "-this hour…" she continued, smiling. "Lily conjured up a cot for me…I'm gonna kip with them tonight. Same as I do when it's a full moon," she said. He nodded and kissed her gently goodnight.

"See ya in the mornin'," she called, heading up the stairs.

Laurel, Lily, and Treasure woke up the next morning each feeling very strange. They didn't mention it to each other, but there was something hazy about their mind, as if they were thinking something new but they couldn't grasp exactly what. Lily ignored James more completely than ever; Laurel barely responded as Remus smiled warmly at her, offering a walk around the grounds. She went with him limply, hardly saying a word, and not smiling much either. Her eyes remained a cool silver the whole time, and she seemed more like a veela than he'd ever seen her. He wondered what was wrong.

Treasure tilted her head as Sirius walked over to kiss her good morning, and claimed that she was feeling a bit under the weather as he got an injured look on his face. He asked her quietly if she was upset with him after their conversation yesterday about his parents, and she laughed a bit stiffly, saying no. But she kept her distance from him the entire day, leaving Sirius disgruntled and irritable.

James watched Treasure and Laurel through narrowed eyes, not liking how Sirius was peeved and Remus was hurt. He tried to reassure his friends that it was quite possible they were having one of their typical female moments. "Who can understand that lot, anyway, mates? Raving banshees, the whole load," he said of the female gender. Lily regarded him very coldly, and James stared back, still embarrassed after having been sent whizzing down the slide that became of the stairway to the girls' dormitory. Lily moved and went to sit next to Peter, who was having a difficult time with his Charms homework. She sat rather close to him, tilting her head and showing off her neck, casting nasty looks every so often at James. Peter had the courtesy to look surprised, but there was a smug smile on his face that wasn't fooling the rest of the Marauders for a minute. Something was definitely going on here.

Treasure and Laurel emerged through the portrait hole and went straight over to the couch where Lily sat, surrounding Peter in a sea of perfumes and short, altered Hogwarts uniforms. Neither cast a look at their respective boyfriends, even finding the nerve to look disdainful as their significant others came to sit next to them. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs all looked suspiciously down at Peter, who grew slightly pink under their gaze, but didn't stop his conversation with the girls.

A/N: There you have it, chapter 20. ::dances:: Okay, from the title and the not-so-subtle hints at the culprit…who's the wise one who can tell me what's going on in the two main relationships that make up this story? offers Marauder plush toys to whoever wants

Oy, I found out that Sirius has GRAY EYES! I always thought they were brown! That is _so_ cool…So, whatever I said about his eyes in previous chapters - I don't remember if I even mentioned his eyes - change whatever it is to GRAY now, okay? WOOT.

I've been looking up all these Sirius Black sites and it seems, sadly, that he truly is dead. How could JKR be so cruel? Hasn't Harry lost enough people he's loved? I mean, the kid FINALLY gets a father figure after THIRTEEN YEARS of being an orphan…and ::rant rant rant::

Ah, well. I _hope_ that I'm going to write this story up to Harry's present time, cuz I _really_ want Treasure and Laurel to meet Harry, and I wanna write Lily and James's wedding and all that…so if ya'll _promise_ to keep the reviews coming, I'll keep this story going. Not to threaten or anything, cuz Laura knows I'll probably keep writing it anyway. I'm recently re-obsessed with Sirius Black. But, reviews would be _greatly_ appreciated. _Italics are fun_.

I'm a bit upset though…I don't think I've gotten Sirius and James's characters dead on…Sirius is more of a prankster and more arrogant, James is okay but could be more cocky, I think. Maybe I need to add more Snape. Ah well, that's what the sixth year is for, right? I can't wait 'till that whole post-exams/Snape/Snivellus/upside-down thing…

SO - review, please!

-Crystyna


	20. Which Witch?

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

Author's Note: To **Alianne/Sandraline **and **Aldariel**: Perfect assessment of the plot….you get a free (enter name of favorite HP or HP-TYO character) life size robot! AND a magic wand!

"I dunno, maybe he bought that new cologne that's supposed to attracted all the broads," James said. Of the remaining three Marauder's, he was the least distressed. Seeing Lily fawn over someone as pathetic as Peter was irritating, especially when she had so consistently rejected James himself. It had been a full day's worth of the girls' strange behavior, and now everyone had congregated in the Great Hall for lunch. Snape regarded James with a smirk as he walked by. "Funny how Lily'd rather be in Peter's company than yours, eh, Potter? Right slight to your fat ego, isn't it?" he said airily.

Sirius stood up and was about to pull out his wand, but Remus coughed loudly and nodded his head over to the teachers' table. Professor Dumbledore was watching with a rather amused smile on his lips - although from this distance it might have been the way his long silvery beard was arranged. Sirius wasn't a fool enough to hex Snape right under the Headmaster's eyes but he did say, "I don't see your hag of a girlfriend anywhere, Snivellus."

Snape's smile faded slowly off his sallow face. "Indeed." he whispered coldly. Then, casting a glance over at where Treasure sat, he said, "Well, at least Eva is not throwing herself over a little worm like Pettigrew."

Sirius turned his head so quickly that he felt a crick in his neck, and Snape laughed nastily before stalked away. Treasure did seem to be throwing herself over Pettigrew. She and Lily were sitting on either side of Peter, taking the time to select the best pieces of whatever food was in front of them and adding it to his plate. Lily glared at a third year boy who attempted to take the piece of chicken she was eyeing, and Treasure actually pulled her wand on a fourth year girl who was in the middle of taking a piece of cake. Laurel was sitting at the Hufflepuff table looking miserable and glaring at Lily and Treasure. Remus saw this and frowned, but didn't get up.

After Peter had finished his lunch the girls got up and, without another glance over their shoulders, left the Great Hall. This time, Laurel was with them. James scowled at their backs, taking in the hurt disbelieving look on Remus's face and trying not to laugh at the infuriated and indignant look on Sirius's.

"Wormtail put a spell on them." Sirius said decisively. James blinked. "Come again?" he asked. Sirius was still glaring in the direction that Treasure had left, without so much as a wave. "Think about it - why would a girl like Treasure, or a girl like Laurel for that matter, or even Lily - go for a little git like Peter?" he said, none too kindly. Remus looked unsure.

"Peter's our friend though, he wouldn't do that." he said.

"And even if he wanted to put a spell or a love potion on the girls, he wouldn't have the power to. It took us so long to -" James lowered his voice. "To become Animagi, mostly because Peter couldn't manage to turn himself into a rat."

"Not that it was too much of a stretch for him, the prat." Sirius grumbled. Remus, however, still looked unconvinced. "James is right, Sirius, he wouldn't have been able to pull off some kind of love charm or potion - that's really advanced magic, not to mention dangerous, if it misfires. I don't even think we could pull off that kind of thing."

"Not that we'd need to." Sirius scoffed, looking very arrogant.

"Maybe the Laurel and Treasure just got tired of you blokes, eh, d'you reckon?" James said with a sly grin. Remus looked upset but Sirius said, "Say that again, Prongs, and you'll be reckoning my fist in your nose." James held up his hands in surrender, "I'm not the one who charmed your girl, mate."

Remus was quiet. "Love potion." he murmured, and the shook his head. "James is probably right, Sirius, maybe they did get tired of us." he said. Sirius looked disgruntled.

"That's ridiculous."

"Hey, it is possible, Padfoot, as much of a catch as you are…" James taunted.

"What did you say about love potions, Moony?" Sirius said abruptly, turning his attention instead to the Slytherin table. Remus's brow furrowed. "They're potentially dangerous, and extremely advance…"

"And who would be up to such a potion?" James asked, also looking in the direction of the Slytherin table. Remus turned around and saw that Sirius and James were both glaring at Snape, who sat eating quietly with his nose in a book with a black cover entitled _Dark Arts for Dark Wizards_. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"But _why_ would Snape do it?" Remus asked, sitting in an armchair in the empty Gryffindor common room. Nearly everyone had gone out as it was a beautiful May day, and all the fifth years were in dire need of a break from studying for their O.W.L.s, the first of which was due in two weeks.

"I mean, he hates Gryffindor - why would he do something to help someone _in_ Gryffindor?" Remus continued, watching Sirius as he paced back and forth in front of the fire. James was building a tower out of Exploding Snap cards with extreme care, and didn't seem to be as bothered about any of this.

"Ha, I wonder. Maybe because he loathes us nearly as much as we loathe him." Sirius was saying. James looked up. "So, what do you suppose we do about it?" he asked. "We have to fix the girls!" Sirius burst out angrily. James rolled his eyes.

"First, I think, we have to find out what kind of spell or potion he did." Remus said, leaning forward a bit. "If that's even what he did." he added uncertainly.

"What else could it be?" Sirius barked. James coughed quickly to hide his snickering.

"And its obviously a potion, what else would that little slimeball be good for?" Sirius ranted on. Remus nodded. "Okay, well, we have to find out how he did it, how powerful the spell is, what the effects are - shut up, Sirius" (Sirius had opened his mouth to say "Well, it's a bit obvious what the bloody effects are!") "- and how to counter the potion."

James sighed, looking longing out the window at the few people who had decided to play a scrimmage Quidditch match. "So I guess that means we're off to the library, then?" he asked heavily.

"Don't sound so reluctant, Prongs - Lily is the only one without a boyfriend to think about, she might be the most willing to do whatever Peter asks." Sirius growled. James jumped up and led the way to the library.

"Well, it says '_the effects of the potion make the victim -' _oh, that's nice, 'victim',"

"Just read it, Black."

"_'make the victim fall helplessly in love with the alchemist -'_ but _Snape_ mixed the potion…"

"Try reading the _whole_ text, Sirius."

"_'- or the drinker of the love potion."_

"See the value of _reading_, Padfoot, my friend?"

__

"Shut up._ 'Among several various ingredients that include but are not limited to rose oil, powdered seed of ellateria cardamomum, wings of a lavender sprite. Necessary ingredients include the a possession of the intended lover, and the dearer the possession to said lover, the deeper the spell shall become. The potion must be mixed above a fire in which fire salamanders live among rose quartz crystals at midnight on a Friday under the new moon.'_

"I am going to _kill_ Wormtail for this!" Sirius said angrily, throwing the book down.

"Uh, guys?" James asked, looking up from another book with a look of worry on his face. "What?" Sirius snarled. "It says here that if more than one person's possession is added to the potion…they can get a bit competitive."

"Competitive over what?" Remus asked.

"In this case…over Peter." James answered. Sirius swore.

"And you _know_ how bad it can get when two witches get competitive, don't you?" he said. James swallowed, looking as if whatever he was going to say was something that he really wished he needn't.

"In this case it's _three_ witches."

"Petey, wanna come for a walk around the grounds with me?" Treasure asked, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously, an action that she would otherwise never do. Lily scowled, "He doesn't want to, Tres, he said that he'd be coming up to the Astronomy tower with me as I'm going to tutor him, isn't that right Peter?" she said, smiling at him. Peter swallowed.

"Yes - but that doesn't mean that I can't go for a short walk first, does it?" he said hastily, seeing Treasure's dismayed expression. Lily's expression soured. "Oh, but I had planned on showing you the positions of all the stars and how they affect the romantic lives of -"

"Lils, he doesn't want a book-freakin-flobberworm like you. He wants to have fun. If you truly cared about him, you'd see that already. Are we going, Petey?" she asked, holding her hand out to him and tossing her hair. Peter looked torn.

"Lily, will you wait for me here. I wont be long, I promise." he said. Lily looked like she might cry.

"Don't cry, Lily, I promise you'll have me tonight." Peter said, and Treasure got a very nasty look on her face but said nothing. Lily smiled. "Okay, Peter. I'll be waiting right here." she said sweetly, her face shining with triumph. Treasure made a very rude hand gesture over Peter's head but Lily said nothing, still silently gloating.

"Come on," Treasure said sullenly, walking out the portrait hole. Lily grinned, dashing up to the girls' dorm when they were safely out of the common room. She pulled out her mermaid dress from Halloween and made sure that it was in perfect condition. She pulled it on quickly and put her hair in an elegant up-do with a few red strands hanging around her face. She rummaged through Treasure's trunk and found _Tinkerbell's TangerineBody Mist_ and considered spraying it on liberally. But, she decided, she didn't want to smell like her best friend as she spent the night with Peter. With a nasty smile she poured out all the body mist onto the floor and sprayed on her own lily scented perfume. Satisfied, she pulled on her robes so that not an inch of her dress was visible - she wanted Peter to be surprised.

Laurel was prowling the grounds in search of Peter. She knew that he'd probably be with Treasure - the nasty backstabbing little twit was going to pay for stealing her man. What did Treasure want with Peter anyway? She had Sirius. Granted, Laurel was indeed Remus's girl, but sometimes she had to admit that she just wasn't satisfied. Treasure should be happy with Sirius and leave Laurel alone - not the Sirius could hold a candle to Peter Pettigrew, Laurel reflected with a blissful smile.

She saw a light blinking closer and closer and realized that it must be Treasure and Peter. Laurel frowned, pulling out her own wand and standing with her hand on her hip and her wand at ready. She wouldn't curse Treasure without warning - that wouldn't be fair and if she was going to win over Peter, it was going to be in all fairness, for now at least.

"Belle." Laurel said coldly as Treasure and Peter stopped in front of her, arm in arm. Treasure held her wand up higher, and its bar of light fell right on Laurel's face. Treasure let go of Peter's arm and he walked off meekly (not meekly, responsibly. This was Laurel and Treasure's fight, after all.) to the side of the path.

"Lovegood." Treasure replied with equal ice. Laurel grinned. "Are you up to a challenge, Belle?" she asked. Treasure's lips turned up unpleasantly. "I would be, if I saw one anywhere." she said, shrugging and inspecting her nails as if she was bored. Laurel narrowed her eyes. Peter watched nervously, his eyes switching back and forth between the girls.

"Fancy a duel, Belle?" Laurel said. Treasure laughed. "If you want to be beaten that badly, then sure - why not?" Laurel said nothing, only bowed very slightly. Treasure returned the bow, rather sarcastically.

"Ready?" Laurel asked stiffly. Treasure smiled.

"Ready if you are."

"They'll tear each other to pieces!" Remus said worriedly, thinking of Laurel. She was part veela, and if provoked she could get very nasty. He was worried more for the other girls.

"Don't worry about it." Sirius said grimly. He was greeted with questioning looks from James and Remus. "Treasure's practically memorized all the jinxes in that stupid dueling book Lily gave her for Christmas - you'd be better off worrying for your girl, Moony." Sirius said, and there was a distinct note of pride in his voice.

Remus glowered.

"Well, I'll go check the dungeons to see if that's where Snape's keeping the potion…I bet old Athach set it up real nice for his prize student - never mind that there's a huge penalty for someone who's merely planning a love potion." James said nastily of the Potions Master. Sirius grinned sardonically. "And when have you ever been worried about a penalty, Prongs?" he asked. 

"Just go find the girls." James said, dashing through the library door.

Remus and Sirius first went to the Gryffindor common room, but met only Lily, who stared at them indifferently.

"Where's Treasure?" Sirius demanded. Lily glared. "She went for a walk." she muttered dejectedly. "With Peter?" Remus asked. Lily sighed, and Sirius rolled his eyes, heading out through the portrait hole, Remus following after a few seconds.

"We have to find them." he said. Sirius was walking fast, out of the castle. It would be getting dark soon and if they didn't find the girls it was quite possible that the next morning both would be in a state of disarray. Sirius didn't want to know how many tentacles would have sprouted out of Laurel's head, or how many noses Treasure would have scattered across her face.

The girls were surprisingly easy to find. The bright flashes of blue and red light came from the path that lead down to the Forest. Sirius started jogging over, and the closer they got the clearer they could here the obscene words that the girls were screaming at each other over the incantations and jinxes.

"_Fununcula!" _Treasure screamed, and Laurel narrowly missed the beam of silver light. This was possibly because she was hobbling around uncontrollably, the result of a Jelly-Legs jinx. Treasure seemed to be fine, except that she would shriek with laughter in between shouts of hexes and obscenities. Whether or not she did this willingly, Sirius did not want to know.

Remus caught up with Sirius and was about to run in the midst of the dueling witches, but Sirius held his arm out. "Just watch for a minute, mate." he said with an odd grin on his face. Remus rolled his eyes and made to lunge forward again but Sirius hissed. "If you run up their, you'll be creamed. Just wait a minute - they're not really hurting each other."

"Yet." Remus said darkly, and nodded over to where Peter sat huddled in the grass, looking apprehensively between the girls. Sirius frowned and snuck over there without the girls seeing.

"Hey, Wormtail." he said coldly. Peter looked up, now real fear written across his face.

"Sirius - you have to help me. You have to stop them!" he squeaked, flinching as a beam of red light ricocheted off in their direction. "You want our help, Wormtail?" it was not Sirius but Remus who spoke, looking at Peter with ill-hidden disgust.

"Not the brightest git, are you, Peter?" Sirius said coldly. Peter looked confused. "They're in love with you - unwillingly, yes, but still in love. A false, manufactured love." Remus spat. Peter didn't look like he understood.

"You could have told them to stop - mostly likely, they would have listened." Sirius snapped. Comprehension dawned on Peter's face, and he made to get up but Sirius, feeling particularly vindictive, shoved him back down and spun around with his wand out.

"_Stupefy!_" Treasure and Laurel both shouted, distracted long enough to see Sirius pushing Peter around. Sirius flung himself onto the ground and felt the spell brush the top of his head. He snarled in Treasure's general direction, but she had turned back to Laurel and had repeated the spell.

Laurel, caught off guard, was hit with a beam of read light in the chest and fell backwards, Stunned.

"_Petrificus totalus!" _Sirius bellowed, his wand aimed at Treasure. Her arms snapped to her side and she was as stiff and straight as a soldier called to attention. Unfortunately, her balance was off and she fell like a plank to the ground.

"_Black you bastard!"_ she shrieked, her eyes darting back and forth and her voice box clearly the only other part of her that was not paralyzed. Sirius grimaced and walked over to her as Remus rushed over to Laurel and whispered "_Ennervate_." She woke up groggily and put a hand to her head. When she spotted Treasure stiff as a board on the ground, she started to laugh.

"So I won, then?" she asked, grinning cheekily at Peter, who sat watching with wide eyes.

"No, you didn't." Sirius called nastily over his shoulder, having finally succumbed to putting a Silencing Charm on Treasure, her words so offensive that they made even Sirius flustered.

He lifted the _Petrificus Totalus_ spell and was knocked over and Treasure tackled him angrily, hissing like a cat. She was mouthing soundlessly, looking enraged. Laurel laughed and made to get to Peter, but Remus grabbed her and held her arms behind her back. It was dark now and Remus would not allow Laurel to go walking around with Peter at night, not wanting to have to rescue her from Lily. He steered Laurel forcefully back towards the castle, asking Sirius to Silence her first so she wouldn't wake everyone up. She was howling loud enough to make even the loudest banshee run away in fear.

Sirius had barely managed to pin down in order to Silence Laurel, but he wouldn't leave it up to Peter, who could make even the simplest spells disastrous. Peter hung back, watching as Sirius held down a struggling Treasure to perform the spell, then tuck his wand and Treasure's safely in his back pocket and finally managing to hurl himself and Treasure up to their feet.

Treasure snarled at him silently.

Sirius snarled right back, the effect more readily achieved as he could make noise. "You're under a spell, Tres, don't you know that?" he said angrily as she kicked him in the shin.

_You're just jealous, Sirius, _she mouthed to him.

Sirius rolled his eyes, holding her in front of him with his wand poking ominously in the crook of her back. He didn't intend to use it, but even as she was disarmed and silent he was still loathe underestimate her.

_Please let James have found that ruddy potion._ Sirius thought, glaring sideways at Peter. Who knew how long Sirius would be able to keep his temper with the little rat?

A/N: There…chapter 21. sighs sadly My best friend is moving to California tomorrow. Today was the last day that I'll see her in God knows how long…lucky for ya'll, it just so happens that writing helps me cope and you can probably expect a good few updates soon.


	21. The Unwilling Temptress

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Just read and find out…

A/N: Yay for chapter 22!

"Well, its not anywhere in the dungeons - you should be glad that I'm a bloody good friend, Professor Athach threatened to give me detention if he caught me 'sneaking around' down there anymore." James muttered darkly, back in the Gryffindor Common Room.

The Marauders - Peter included - had taken as many books as they could and were searching for an antidote to the love potion. James, Remus, and Sirius were forcing Peter to help.

Laurel had been walked to the Hufflepuff Common Room and Remus stayed outside the portrait hole until she had gone in. She wouldn't be able to get into the Gryffindor Common Room without someone from Gryffindor helping her - and as Lily and Treasure viewed Laurel as nothing but competition, they were not at all willing to help her enter.

"Wormtail, you've really gone and done it this time. If it weren't for the fact that Moony here could have me put in detention, I'd curse you into next year." Sirius snarled, baring his teeth at Peter. Peter's eyes widened and he put hid his face in the book that he was searching through.

"You never had any qualms about being in detention before, Padfoot, my friend." James said smugly. Sirius said nothing, only flipped a few pages hastily and refusing to look up.

"Or is it that you are afraid that Treasure will be the one to curse you into oblivion?" James asked, laughing as Sirius looked frustrated. "That's not it at all - shall I remind you that the only reason she and Lily are not here fawning over this idiot" he jerked a thumb in Peter's general direction, "is because I told them to go to bed."

James snorted. "If you say so, Sirius." Obviously Sirius didn't know that while he was ranting to the girls, Peter was nodding and mouthing to them to go to bed over his shoulder.

Remus sighed tiredly. "Peter, are you quite sure that you didn't look up the antidote while preparing the potion?" he asked. Peter shook his head.

"It - it was hard enough preparing the potion itself. I'm surprised that I succeeded." he stammered, an unpleasant flush coloring his face and neck in blotchy red spots.

"And you are quite sure that you didn't have an help?" Sirius asked darkly, glaring at Peter. Peter swallowed. "No, Sirius, no help at all. Who - who would I ask? Old Snivelly?" Peter uttered a high pitched laugh. "He w-wouldn't help me even if I did ask him. Which I didn't. And wouldn't."

"I'll bet." Sirius muttered.

"Aha!" James said triumphantly some minutes later. By now it was dark, most of the Gryffindor students had gone to bed and the Marauder's were left with the stragglers, the few who were studying for the upcoming O.W.L.s (less than a week and half away) because they'd neglected to study until now.

"Here they are, the ingredients - and they don't seem pleasant, do they? Too bad you'll be drinking them in two nights time, Wormy." Sirius sneered, pulling the book closer so he could read them. James pulled out a quill and began jotting down the list of ingredients on a spare piece of parchment.

"_A draught to be made under the light of three red candles, in a cauldron heated by a white flame…the possessions of those ensnar'd must be bathed in fire newt oile and turned three times counter-clockwise in a stew containing the herb tanacetum vulgaris. The potion must be allowed to simmer for exactly thirty-three minutes and then served to the culprit _-"

"- that would be you, Wormtail."

"_as he stands facing the west and chants: 'Thy heart is free from this binding spell. Go from me hence and fine thee another_.'

"Got that, Peter?" Remus asked nastily, looking exhausted. James watched him worriedly. "Go to bed, Moony. Sirius and I are going to wing it to Hogsmeade and get these ingredients so we can prepare the spell by tomorrow night. You'll have your girl back in before you can stay 'You're a dead man, Peter Pettigrew'."

Remus nodded wearily and headed to the boys' dormitory, Peter following like a rat with a tail between his legs only moments later.

1

Lily Evans was not happy, not happy at all. It was entirely unfair that Treasure and Laurel got to be out and about and with Peter while she, Lily, was stuck in the wretched common room the whole time, alone.

And all dressed up with nowhere to go. At least Treasure had been able to demonstrate how much she truly cared for Peter by dueling with Laurel. And from what Lily had heard, Treasure came out the winner in that duel, Stunning Laurel. Too bad Treasure's glory had been stolen somewhat when Sirius intervened.

Lily grinned wickedly to herself. Perhaps Peter would not place Treasure in such high esteem, then. Treasure had been mumbling about how Sirius dared to pin her to the ground - something she would not have been so upset about if she had kept Sirius to herself instead of opting to copy Lily in her affections for Peter.

It wasn't fair! Laurel and Treasure should mind their own business, they each had their own boyfriends. Laurel had Remus and who would say that Remus was anything but a great boyfriend?

He was sweet to her, in the winter he would offer her his cloak as they went out for a walk around the grounds. Laurel should have been completely satisfied and left Lily and Peter alone.

And Treasure - she had Sirius, who was indisputably the most handsome boy in Hogwarts! Of course, Lily would not admit that. To her, Peter Pettigrew was more handsome than Sirius could ever hope to be. Who could possibly choose tall, dark and handsome over short, round and mousy, right?

Peter's dreamy blue eyes were what had Lily so enthralled, so what if they were watery and red-rimmed from stress nearly all the time? And his beautiful golden hair, Lily thought she would go into ecstasies if she were just allowed to touch his fabulous hair.

It did seem a bit odd to her that Treasure and Laurel were both infatuated with Peter too, and at the same time. But their love was obviously not as pure as Lily's. Good heavens, no. How could it be, when Lily thought of Peter every second of every day? Why had she not noticed it before, how his twitchy, rat-like manner betrayed a strong and gallant man underneath?

Lily sighed, sitting up on her bed. She shrugged out of her school robes, the robes that she had not taken off to go to bed. Underneath her green dress glimmered and her smooth white skin was kissed by the moonlight streaming in from the open window. It was a cool night.

Lily wondered if the girl's were so restricted from the boys' dormitory, as the boys were obviously restricted from the girls'. Lily reached, pondering this, for a brush on her night table and started to brush through her long red hair.

"Oy, hurry up, mate! Og will have heard us by now!" James hissed, walking forward hurriedly. Og was the aging caretaker of Hogwarts, and nearly as foul as what students thought his eight thousand forty-nine years should portray.

"Yeah, well, if you hadn't tripped me on the way out of the portrait hole, I wouldn't have -" Sirius snapped.

"Wouldn't have what? Yelped like a woman?"

"You yelped like a woman, Black, admit it."

"Shut your fat mouth - _dissendium_." Sirius muttered. James tore off the Invisibility Cloak and both boys whispered "_Lumos_." They made their way quickly through the tunnel leading to Honeydukes cellar. "Let's hope they don't have a guard gnome," James muttered miserably, pushing the trap door up and pulling himself into the room containing all of Honeydukes' fabulous inventory. Sirius looked around appreciatively, tucking a bag of _Drooble's Best Blowing Gum_ into his pocket. James rolled his eyes and tossed a Sickle into a corner - Sirius may have thought nothing of nicking candy, but James at least had a conscience. Sometimes.

"Lucky that we don't need too many bloody ingredients. I bet once Treasure's got her head on straight, she'll attack Wormtail." Sirius said, popping a piece of gum into his mouth. "Shh!" James hissed, throwing the cloak over them again, the vision of Treasure attacking Peter highly amusing.

They made their way out of Honeydukes easily enough and wandered through Hogsmeade purposefully. There was not a soul about in Hogsmeade, luckily enough, and James tugged the cloak off after looking around. Sirius strode past him, heading straight for the _Herbology Hut _located on the opposite side of the village, and reaching for the door. James caught up as Sirius was about to turn the doorknob, smacking his friend's hand away anxiously. He threw the cloak over them once again and muttered, _"Alohomora"_. Nothing happened. James groaned.

"Move over you stupid sod."

"What - do you have a better idea -"

Sirius had pulled a knife out of his pocket and slid it into the doorknob where the keyhole would have been. Not that wizards needed to use keys, of course, most just put a charm on the door to open only by a certain charm from a certain wand. Sirius twisted the knife slowly and James heard a click. Sirius grinned.

"After you, maestro," he said. James glared at his best friend and walked in faster than he had too, forcing Sirius to step lively to keep up or else risk having the cloak pulled off him. The two looked around the room they were in with wide eyes. For a hut, it was as big as the Hogwarts library and with nearly as many shelves. There were books on some of the shelves, up against the walls and nearly out of sight. But on the other shelves there were jars upon jars of herbs, big jars, small jars, fat jars and thin. Jars that look like vases for flowers and jars painted black whatever they held was kept from being seen. One would have to trust the label as to what was inside. It was in one of these jars, unfortunately, that the _tanacetum vulgaris _was stored.

"I am going to enjoy feeding that to Peter." Sirius was eyeing the black jar with a rather nasty look on his face. James said nothing, only pulled a smaller jar from his pocket and holding his wand up.

"_Wingardium leviosa."_ The black jar hovered in the air and started to make its way to them, eerily suspended by invisible strings.

"Who's in here?" James started so badly that his wand hand wrenched away and the jar began to fall. Only a quickly whispered "_Impedimenta!"_ from Sirius kept it from shattering on the floor. Both boys looked up to have a bright wand light hit their eyes. Sirius and James kept quiet and still, knowing that the creaking floor board would give them away. It seemed that both had stopped breathing.

The wand light lowered revealing a woman in a jet black nightgown that was very nearly transparent from the dull glow of the waning moon coming from the window. James gave a startled gasp and Sirius made a sort of strangled sound in his throat halfway between amusement and embarrassment. Maybe even appreciation. James glanced at his friend with a grin faltering on his face.

"Who's here?" the woman asked again sharply, the light from her wand dimming a bit as if she wasn't afraid to be left in the dark. Her face came into view and both boys under the Invisibility Cloak felt their jaws drop.

It was Kathrynn Sabre, Snape's cousin. From the looks of it, it was she who had come to own the _Herbology Hut_. Her skin was porcelain pale and her violet eyes seemed closer to black in the diminished light. Her hair was long and straight down her back, in an intricate braid with tendrils of night-black hair framing her face. Both boys made a choked sound, and elbowed each other accusingly, glaring at each other to shut up.

"I know someone's here." Kathrynn was peering around, her eyes sliding over where James and Sirius were. The black jar on the floor caught her eye and she bent over to pick it up. James didn't miss the rather crude grin that graced his best friend's face and knew that there must be one of the same on his face. Kathrynn straightened with a touch of a smile on her lips.

"_Tanacetum vulgaris," _Kathrynn mused, a slender white finger touching her lips thoughtfully. A lithe black panther slinked its way over, standing beside the tall figure in the black nightgown. Kathrynn smiled slightly, just a tug at the corners of her full lips that left even James wanting to pull off the Invisibility Cloak and do something impressive in her presence. Both the panther and its master were staring straight ahead, directly at where Sirius and James stood huddled.

"I told Severus not to get involved with that little twitchy boy." Kathrynn reached up and placed the black jar on its shelf slowly, seemingly aware of the audience that was watching as she stood on tip-toes and stretched. James and Sirius stood as if they were made of stone. A smile graced Kathrynn's lips once again.

"Kat?" a man's voice came from somewhere else in the shop and all but the panther started. Kathrynn recovered smoothly, pulling her braid over her shoulder and playing with the ends of it idly. "Over here," she called, her smile widening. Sirius would have snarled if he had any breath.

The owner of the voice stepped into the light, revealing himself to be none other than Lucius Malfoy. Kathrynn's smile became less coy, and reached her eyes that seemed darker than ever now. Lucius favored her with a tight-lipped smirk of his own, as if he was proud of being with such a woman at this hour of the night. James frowned.

In Kathrynn's eyes, however, she seemed to enjoy being a possession, in fact she seemed to favor Lucius with very much the same smirk. Lucius Malfoy was undoubtedly a handsome man, with white-blond hair to his shoulders and cold gray eyes. James felt his face curl up into a sneer as Malfoy put a hand on Kathrynn's back - very much of it exposed in her strange excuse for a night gown. "What woke you, my dear?" he asked. Kathrynn turned her head gracefully and James was sure she met his eyes. The panther gave a low purr. Sirius held his breath once again.

"Nothing, Lucius." She had a predatory smile on her lips this time, looking up at Malfoy. She ushered him forward and James could swear she winked at them as she turned to leave.

"The red candles are by the door." she whispered, a twinkle in those violet eyes. "What was that, dearest?" Lucius asked, his voice still snide even to Kathrynn. She was out of sight now but both Sirius and James heard her reply that it was nothing, and to get back to bed.

"Get back to bed? She sleeps with that block of ice?" Sirius spat. James grinned, "I doubt very much its any of your business." He walked over to the black jar and pulled it down, taking the amount of the herb he needed. He left a Galleon on the top of the jar and walked back out, grabbing three candles with him. The Galleon would be enough to cover the cost of that too.

1

"Peter," Lily said softly, sitting on the edge of Pettigrew's bed. He started away and stared up at her, taking in her attire. Her strapless green dress seemed to be pulled lower than it had been on Halloween, her hair in gentle red waves like soft flames. Peter Pettigrew shook himself and sat up, edging as far away from Lily as he could get, albeit reluctantly. Remus was asleep, completely beat.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" Peter demanded hoarsely. Lily smiled, her emerald green eyes going a few shades darker. "You promised me a night at the Astronomy tower, Peter. You went with Treasure for a walk, and Laurel got to see you as well, but you've neglected me." She sounded hurt. Peter swallowed.

"I'm sorry Lily. I'll walk with you tomorrow, I promise, but I'm awfully t-tired now." He forced a yawn. Lily's smile widened, her eyes half closed and her lips forming a sultry pout. Peter wouldn't have thought that bookworm-Lily could be so seductive, but evidently she could. Peter swallowed again.

"I wouldn't mind staying here." Lily traced a pattern lightly on the covers. Peter stared at her as she leaned in. "I wouldn't mind at all," she whispered. She leaned closer.

"Can you believe what she was wearing - maybe I should buy something like that for Tres, do you reckon?" Sirius voice came from outside the dormitory. Peter bolted out of his bed with a frightened look at Lily. If James saw her…

"I think Treasure would roast you alive if you even suggested it." James's voice now.

"You never know, mate - the way she looks at me sometimes, I could swear -"

The door to the dorms opened and Sirius and James came face to face with Lily, sitting unconcernedly on Peter's bed. James's jaw dropped open disbelievingly. Sirius looked like he was struggling between laughter and rage, on behalf of James. Laughter seemed to be winning.

"Speaking of nighties, eh, Prongs?" he said. James walked over to Lily and hoisted her up by her arm. "Get off me, Potter!" she hissed angrily, trying to pull away.

"I swear to you, Wormtail, if you've done anything to her…!" James snarled ignoring as a Lily tried to pry his hand open. "I h-haven't done anything, James! She was sitting on my bed when I woke up, that's all!" James glared at Peter, who was backing away towards the window. Sirius suddenly looked shell-shocked.

"Wormtail - Treasure didn't come to you like this, did she?" Now it was James's turn to look amused, but also angry, for Treasure as well as Sirius.

"No, she didn't." Lily spat, trying without avail to get James to let go of her. Instead, James pulled her to the door and shoved her out, slamming the door behind him. Remus awoke with a snort. "What happened?" he asked groggily. Sirius and James wore identical scowls, and Remus sat up straighter.

"Consider yourself lucky that we found all the ingredients, Wormtail." Sirius threw them angrily onto his bed.

"Consider yourself very lucky." James added. Remus looked perplexed.

"Right, then. We'll make the potion tomorrow?"

A/N: Sorry it took so long, Luna.


	22. The Effects of The AntiLove Potion

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x]

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: The affects of the anti-love potion.

A/N: Five days til school starts. ::is glum::

1

"Drink up, Wormtail." Sirius was glaring almost sinisterly as he held out the flagon of a sickly yellow liquid. From the wary look on Peter Pettigrew's face, he wasn't entirely sure that Padfoot hadn't tried to slip some poison in the anti-love potion.

"A-are you sure that you made this right, mates? I mean…the l-love potion was red. And it tasted like cinnamon…" Peter took a hesitant sniff at the yellow goop that moved sluggishly in its bottle. It certainly did not smell like cinnamon. He gulped and looked at his 'friends.'

"I'm sure that this isn't really necessary - eh, James? You could just sit the girls down and tell them that they're under the influence of…a potion. That'll clear things up, wont it?" He wished his voice would stop squeaking.

"Nice try, Peter," Remus said quietly, looking almost as angry as Sirius. Which was surprising, Remus was the one of them who usually tried to smooth things over for Peter, he was like the mediator of the group when James and Sirius were feeling especially malevolent. Peter wondered why that didn't come to mind when he got this stupid love potion idea in the first place. He should have just made Lily and Treasure fall helplessly in love with him - he owed it to Remus, at least, to leave Laurel alone.

Sirius scowl deepened, as if he was thinking along the same lines. "Drink up," he snapped. Peter decided that he would appeal to James once more.

"James, mate, please - …you could just t-talk to a professor, and they'll set it straight!" He sent a suspicious look at Sirius, whose hand was inching inside his robes, no doubt for his wand. Peter flinched.

"Don't think I'm going to save your useless arse from this, Peter. God knows what Lily would have done if me and Sirius hadn't walked in just then - and if she did anything, so much as…there wouldn't be enough of you to fill a teaspoon, Wormtail, don't doubt that for a second." James glowered at Peter almost to match Sirius's in its intensity.

"Tell a professor?" Remus mused, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the wall of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle had left at Sirius's request, she was really quite fond of him, because he said that they would be punishing Peter and perhaps it wasn't something a lady would like to see. Myrtle was all for witnessing Peter's imminent demise, but Sirius flashed her a winning grin and she sighed and left via toilet.

"Wormtail, do you know what the consequences are for making - and using - a love potion?" Remus asked, as if he was asking how the Chudley Cannons were doing this season. Peter shifted anxiously, glancing at the anti-love potion that he was gripping with sweaty palms.

"You're the p-prefect, Remus," Peter whimpered. A smile flashed across Remus's face momentarily, but it was not a friendly one. "Right. Well, you could be suspended - would you want to suspended before taking your O.W.L.s, Peter? Or, seeing as how you used to potion on not one, but _three_ girls, you stand a chance of being expelled."

"Let's report him," Sirius said nastily. James sighed. "We should have, but now we cant. We made the anti-love potion, which is nearly as dangerous, and just as punishable, as the love potion. We could be suspended to, at the very least, for not going straight to McGonagall."

Sirius grinned again. "Well, then I guess you'll just have to _drink up_, Peter!" he said gleefully. Peter glared for a moment, and then quailed as all three of his best friends glared right back. Sirius was idly holding his wand between two fingers. Peter pinched his nose and swallowed the potion - that smelled faintly of old toenails, from the waft he caught before - in one gulp.

1

"_Wench_!" Treasure shrieked, bright blue jets of light streaming from her wand and sending Lily's hair standing straight up. They were standing by the lake and a few students who had been milling about stopped to watch what was going on. Lily and Treasure were best friends, and nobody knew why they were suddenly dueling with fervor.

Lily sent silvery light streaming from her wand that made Treasure's robes tangle up all around her, tripping her. Treasure snarled and wrestled her robes off after sending water seemingly out of nowhere to splash on top of Lily's head. It did nothing to affect the tendrils of red hair that were standing on end. Lily growled right back, neither of them noticing as Sirius and Remus were running across the grounds towards them. Laurel was sitting by the lake, throwing pieces of bread to the giant squid, and watching; she was clearly hoping that Lily and Treasure would finish each other off.

"How dare you go to him wearing that stupid costume! In his dorm! At_ night -_ ah!" Treasure dropped her wand as gusts of magical air tried to lift her already too-short skirt. With both hands, she tried push her skirt down. A couple of seventh year boys who were watching hooted. Lily smirked and set off to find Peter.

Sirius stopped abruptly, seeing his girlfriend struggle to keep her skirts down modestly - she reminded Sirius of a picture he had once seen of a Muggle named Marilyn Monroe - and spared a glare at the seventh years, who grinned back cheekily. "Ha, Black, I would have asked Treasure out long before you had I known what those skirts were hiding!" said a tall blonde seventh year from Hufflepuff.

"_Barely_ hiding," snickered a dark haired Ravenclaw. Sirius pulled out his wand, and they dispersed quickly; probably not because of his wand, but because Treasure had wrapped her discarded robes around her waist and was trying to perform the counter Charm.

Meanwhile, Laurel had begun running after Lily after hearing what Treasure had shrieked - clearly intent on starting another duel - and was intercepted by Remus. If he wasn't careful, he was going to be a rather large bruise. She didn't look quite so beautiful at the moment, her face contorted in a rage remnant of her veela heritage, when veelas were angry. Treasure, having completed the counter Charm and having her skirts hanging in the direction they were supposed to, was also starting after Lily. Sirius grabbed her by the arm and held her while she struggled, gnashing her teeth at him. He glanced at Remus. "Why isn't it working, Moony?"

Remus, panting, was trying to handle Laurel delicately, but forcefully at the same time, and having a terrible time of it. "He didn't say the words, Sirius! Its useless if he doesn't say the words!" Sirius groaned and very nearly yelped as Treasure kicked him violently in the shin, making him let her go.

"Bloody love potion! _ Locomotor mortis!_" he snarled, and Treasures legs snapped together, causing her to topple over onto her face. Sirius ran over quickly but didn't turn her over. "I should just let you stay like that till Peter says the bloody incantation," he said, but felt merciful as Treasure tried in vain to spit out pieces of grass. He turned her over gently, only to have her start bellowing at him on the top of her lungs.

"_SIRIUS BLACK YOU LIFT THE SPELL RIGHT NOW OR I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD I SWEAR IT!! LIFT THE SPELL, OR I'LL SLIP FROG SPAWN INTO YOUR PUMPKIN JUICE TONIGHT, I WILL!" _she screamed.

"Well, at least I'm forewarned," he said slyly, glancing at Remus again. "Where the bloody hell is James?" he snapped, and Remus shrugged, having succumbed to Silencing Laurel, and looking miserable about it.

James showed up as if Summoned, with Peter panting behind him, and Lily hanging on Peter's shoulders, shooting looks of contempt at Treasure and Laurel. James looked perturbed.

"What are _you_ looking at? Go away!" Sirius roared at the crowd that had gathered. A bit shocked, and more than a little affronted, they acquiesced, huddling away quickly.

"Say the words now, Peter." He sounded as if he was restraining himself from Levitating Peter into the lake. From the way Peter was white and shaking, James had threatened him with it, and he launched into the incantation as if a baby dragon bit him in the behind.

"_Thy h-heart is free from this b-binding spell. G-go from me hence and fine thee another."_

It took a moment, but soon the affects of the counter potion came into affect. They took place in the order of the possessions that had been dropped into the potion in a stall in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Treasure's hair-tie had been dropped in first, as Sirius was being almost insufferable at the time the potion was being mixed, and she stopped shouting herself hoarse about all the things that she would do to Sirius once he lifted the spell. She looked puzzled, and half sat up, as only her legs were paralyzed.

"What happened?" she asked, shaking her head and trying to stand. Sirius darted over to her to perform the counter spell, and helped her to her feet; he apologetically tried dusting the dirt and bits of grass from her clothes, but she smacked his hands away, a slow blush coming into her face. Sirius bit back a grin and rubbed his neck awkwardly.

Treasure looked at Peter with a frown, her eyes narrowing as she remembered the events of the past few days. "You put a love spell on me," she said; it was not a question. If Peter was pale before, he was pasty white now, as Treasure shrugged off Sirius's arm and reached for her wand. Sirius sighed as she made to curse Peter into oblivion, standing in front of the little rat.

"_Protego!"_ he said, however reluctantly, and Peter let out a sigh of relief. Treasure flung herself on the ground to dodge her own curse and picked herself up moments later, her wand held out in front of her. "Move, Sirius!" she snarled. He shook his head. "You wont be getting suspended because of Wormtail, Tres. As much as I want to Curse him into seventh year, we cant."

Treasure scowled and stalked over to pick up her robes, not wanting to admit that Sirius was right.

Laurel stilled after another moment and sat up, looking at Remus. _Why can't I speak?_ She asked him, looking injured. He winced, lifting the spell. She smiled at him hesitantly and looked past, to where Lily was still hanging on Peter and snapping at James whenever he tried to pull her away. Laurel raised her eyebrows, her eyes fading from silver to green as comprehension as she watched Peter.

Her attempt at punishing Peter was a significantly different from Treasure's.

"_You disgusting little vermin!"_ she shrieked indignantly, leaping to her feet and running as if to tackle Peter and break every bone in his body. He yelped and tried to brace himself, but Lily, seeing how Laurel was charging as a bull dragon charges at something red, leapt in front of Peter and knocked Laurel to the ground. Laurel pulled Lily with her, and tried to get past - she at least remembered that she was Lily's friend, even if Lily didn't - but Lily clung to her and tried to pull Laurel's long, silver hair.

"Lily, get _off! What is the matter with you?!"_ Laurel shouted, trying to shove the red head off from where she held her in a head lock. James pulled Lily off, trying to be gentle, but Laurel screamed as if her scalp had been ripped away. Remus ran up and put his arm around Laurel comfortingly, leading her to where Treasure and Sirius sat watching. Sirius was trying to engage Treasure in conversation, but she was sitting there looking angry as if someone had lit her hair on fire.

James held Lily away from Peter, who looked as if he was going into cardiac arrest. Lily was fighting violently to get back to Peter, but she stopped abruptly as if she had crashed into a brick wall. Shaking her head, she leaned on James for a moment, and he looked shocked. She tilted her head up to him, and the rest of the Marauders, and Treasure, and Laurel, all held their breath.

Lily blinked.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, POTTER, WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" she roared, shoving James's arms away and stalking back in the direction of the main entrance to Hogwarts. Treasure laughed. "Nothing much has changed, hm?" she asked, shooting a glance at Laurel. Laurel said nothing, as she had fastened herself to Remus's face.

Sirius stood up, helping Treasure to her feet and they both headed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. "Nice try, mate," Sirius shot over his shoulder to James, who was alternating between glaring at Peter and watching Remus and Laurel disgustedly.

After a moment James turned and followed in the direction that Lily had gone, jogging to catch up to her. Not a glance was spared for Peter, who after a moment, followed James, leaving Laurel and Remus by the lake and Sirius and Treasure in the Forest.

No, not much had changed at all.

A/N: Sorry its so short…hope you liked it!


	23. O W L s

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: Snape's Worst Memory (from a different POV)

A/N: This is probably going to be my favorite chapter. Its dedicated to Luna, as she's been waiting so patiently for it. Luna, happy homecoming. And WRITE ROTROT FOR GOD'S SAKE, I WANT SOME MORE LEGGY ACTION!

Some of the words in this chapter are direct quotes from J.K. Rowling (who I have forgiven - almost - for being evil at the end of the fifth book. What can I say, this fic is my therapy.) Direct quotes from _Chapter 28 of OotP: Snape's Worst Memory_, are in **bold**.

Get ready for the longest chapter this story has ever seen.

1

Treasure sat in the uncomfortably hard chair, muttering under her breath. She was in the Great Hall, for the eighth day in a row, taking her last of the O.W.L.s. Each subject had both a written test and a practical exam, and they were scattered over nine days, one for each subject. Some students had more, like Lily, who had wanted to take nearly every subject Hogwarts could offer.

The O.W.L.s had started with Divination, where she had to write some rubbish about the history of the crystal ball - unlucky chance had seen to it that that was what her essay topic was. She would have much preferred to write about the Tarot, or her star signs, but it was easy; all she did was make up some story about mystical convergence and the ancient seeress, Kassandra of Troy. Professor Dyani claimed to be able to trace her own bloodline back to Kassandra, but Treasure had her doubts. A Muggle broomstick could predict the future more accurately than Professor Dyani. The physical was more fun, she got to read Professor Dyani's palm, and had to restrain herself from commenting on the astonishingly short life line - while it may have gotten her points in class for reading that of a classmate, she did not think her Professor would have liked hearing that a student was predicting her death. _Call my sense of bloody intuition._

Potions was hell, as usual. Professor Athach hated her, and all other Gryffindors, but she ignored that, her Truth Potion only a few shades lighter than it should have been and the bubbles had dispersed after a few moments of intense prayer. She didn't think she missed _too_ many of the ingredients in the written.

There was no practical exam for History of Magic, the only class whose O.W.L. written exam was not taken in the Great Hall, and for that she was grateful. Professor Binns spent the time floating in and out of the window at various intervals, attempting to catch his students cheating, but he did it so methodically that she was able to toss notes back and forth with Sirius and James for the entire time. Lily sniffed disapprovingly, of course, but very quietly, so it would not be thought that she was attempting to cheat. Remus was not disapproving, but he kept casting anxious looks at the windows.

Herbology's written test was a lot of memorization. Lily hadn't been focusing too much on Herbology, and Treasure had to resort to making up one or two answers, growling about Lily's priorities all the while. When she mentioned this to her friend after, Lily sniffed and told her that if she wanted to study for Herbology more, she should have spoken up instead of darting off with Sirius to whatever empty classroom they could find. Treasure replied that what they did in those classrooms was purely academic, and Lily had nothing to say to that, merely raising her eyebrows when Treasure's face colored slowly under her gaze. The practical exam would have gone well if the Venomous Tentacula hadn't started playing with her hair when she was repotting a baby Mandrake, knocking her fuzzy pink earmuffs askew; Treasure was out cold for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the Professor had agreed to a make-up exam, in which Treasure stood well away from the Venomous Tentacula.

Treasure was certain she got top marks on her Care of Magical Creatures exam, which turned out to be two practical exams back-to-back. Evidently, the Professor didn't see much use of written exams in his subject, and so he had conjured up a unicorn - Treasure was relieved to see that it wasn't Aelia, she didn't know how the filly would have reacted to being captured and forced out of the forest - and for the second test, the students had been asked to take a hippogriff for a ride around the grounds. Treasure never had so much fun during a test before, she and Sirius had raced around the grounds three times before landing, and if anything, the Professor seemed pleased. Sirius, on his roan colored male hippogriff - Treasure was hesitant about calling it a stallion, lest it be offended - probably would have beaten Treasure's snowy white, had the two not been mates. The hippogriffs, not Sirius and Treasure.

Astronomy's practical exam took place at night, the students were asked to make star charts like they had been doing all year, but without the help of their usual brass instruments. Treasure had not gone to bed until three o' clock in the morning, taking full advantage of the three and a half hour time limit. Grinning to herself, she reminded herself that she had not gone to bed until at least a quarter past four in the morning, and neither had Laurel. They and their respective boyfriends had stumbled into the same janitor's closet, which was a bit awkward but no less amusing. Sirius, Remus, Laurel, and Treasure were both exhausted when they had to take the written test the following morning.

The Charms exams had been yesterday, for the practical student's had been asked to perform three Charms that they had been allowed to select from a list of very complicated choices. Treasure had chosen the Cheering charm, and advanced Protection charm, and a Patronus that James had taught her a few months before, on a whim. A very long whim, as it had taken her a good three months of practicing an hour each day to learn it properly. Professor Flitwick was deeply impressed. Treasure had borrowed the books she gave Lily for Christmas to study, and passed her written test with relative ease. She would buy Lily as many books as she wanted for the next ten years for all her tutoring.

Now, however, she was two hours into her written test for Defense Against the Dark Arts, trying to remember what to do if she was ever caught by a grindeylow. _Yeah, like I'm every going to fancy a swim in the lake,_ she though with a shudder, turning her head to the side and watching as slick black tentacles emerged from the surface to sunbathe. "Miss Belle, do keep your eyes on your own paper. I do no know how they do things in the Salem Institute for Witchcraft and Wizardry, but at Hogwarts, our students do not cheat," Professor McGonagall said tersely; whenever there was an exam in the Great Hall, all the Professors were present to oversee it. "I don't know how things are done in Salem, either, as I've never been there," Treasure muttered angrily under her breath, shooting a glare at Sirius, who had been snickering. He shrugged.

"What was that, Miss Belle?" McGonagall barked. Treasure flinched, bending over her parchment again, and scribbling some rubbish answer about going for the grindeylow's brittle fingers, hoping she was right. "Nothing, Professor," she bit off. There was a suspicious glint in Professor McGonagall's eyes. Treasure lowered her head meekly, muttering to herself silently. A shimmer of silver to her right and Treasure saw Laurel shaking her head and rolling her eyes behind McGonagall's back, making the most obscene faces at the Professor. Treasure bit her lip to keep from laughing, moving on to question fifty-eight: _Identify three features of the hinkypunk, and describe how it attracts it prey_. Treasure rolled her eyes and scribbled her answer quickly, moving on.

__

Where were the first boggarts found?

Describe the process of 'siring' in relevance to vampires.

How does a succubus ensnare its victims? What does it do once the victims are captured, and how long - if at all - do the victims survive? Treasure smirked slightly at that question, shooting a look at Sirius. He was _so_ lucky she'd gotten to him in time. Psycho sadomasochist succubae…

Who was the first Dark Wizard, and where did his uprising take place? Describe his motives, promises to his followers, and his magical Mark.

What forms do veela take when angered? Describe.

Describe the affects of a Dementor's Kiss. For some reason, that made her shudder. She penned her answer with more speed than usual, eager to get her mind away from dementors. Of all the Dark creatures, they were her least favorite, no matter how many times she was told that they were crucial in guarding Azkaban, the wizard prison. Just the thought of having her soul sucked out her lips was disgusting, and any creature that could do that had to be evil, no matter what the Ministry said.

__

Describe the diet of goblins. Where did they come up with these questions anyway?

__

Identify the subtle differences between mountain trolls and cave trolls. Are these two species related to giants? If so, how?

Describe the relationships between these species: siren, succubus, and veela. Where does each originate? How do they differ, and how are they alike? In Alexo Westerhoff's study of the creatures, explain his theory on the relativity of their species. Treasure snorted. Alexo Westerhoff was some nutter who had willing allowed himself to be captured by each of the creatures. His essays alone - though edited for students - were enough to make her blush. She'd caught James and Sirius pouring over books of succubus, siren, and veela in the library, more than once. Needless to say, the books came chock full of illustrations. Laurel found it all infinitely amusing. Treasure did not.

Name the three Unforgivable Curses and describe their affects. When was each proclaimed Unforgivable_ by the Ministry? In what circumstances are the usage of said Curses permissible?_

In what year did goblins come to work at Gringotts?

At what time of year is a banshee most volatile?

Treasure did not see how any of this was going to help her in later life. With a sigh, she answered her last question and scanned through her answers quickly, sucking on the tip of her quill and staining her lips with black ink. Reading and rereading her paper the way she promised Lily she would, she finally pushed her quill away and fastened the cap onto her inkwell, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs, watching as the rest of the fifth-years finished up their exams.

"**Five more minutes!" **squeaked Professor Flitwick, walking down the aisle where Treasure was seated. He smiled at her warmly, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "You might want to consult a mirror when the exam is over, Miss Belle," he said, touching his lips thoughtfully. Treasure frowned, her own fingers tracing her lips slightly and coming back smudged with black ink. She rolled her eyes and rubbed vigorously at her lips, certain that she was only spreading the ink. Great. She would look like a banshee. At least McGonagall was hovering over Lily's shoulder, making the red head nervously check her answers, almost obsessively.

Treasure looked around some more as her test paper dried. James was stretching in his chair and rumpling his unruly hair - nearly as unruly as Treasure's own. She grinned in his direction as he caught her eye, puckering her lips at him. He doubled over in silent laughter and turned around to catch Sirius's eye. Sirius was four seats behind James, and two seats away from Treasure. Sirius gave James a thumbs-up, tilting his chair back and making the hard wood seat look like a bloody throne. _Haughty bastard_, Treasure thought fondly, sticking her tongue out at him when James nodded in her direction. Sirius grinned cheekily at her, not even noticing when Violet eyed him hopefully in the chair behind directly behind his. _Nice choice of lipstick, Tres, _he mouthed. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her gaze elsewhere. James had started to doodle something on the corner of an extra piece of parchment.

Two seats away from Violet sat Remus, his eyebrows drawn together as he read his paper over again. He was paler than usual, as it was barely a week since the last full moon. Dumbledore had made special arrangements for Remus when he realized that the full moon would fall in the middle of O.W.L.s week. Remus scratched his chin with his quill, to Treasure's satisfaction; she wasn't the only one with ink on her face.

Behind Remus sat Laurel, who seemed exasperated. She was rolling her eyes at Remus's back and she caught Treasure's eye again. _Its his eighth bloody time reading that bloody paper!_ she mouthed angrily, tickling her boyfriend's neck with the hot pink flamingo feather of her quill. He arched his back and craned his neck to look at her, an admonishing smile on his lips. He shook his head slightly; Laurel sighed, flopping face first on her desk, silvery hair falling like a blanket around her head. Aside from being unusually cold towards Peter, not a sign remained in Laurel that she had been under a spell. Her ardor for Remus certainly hadn't cool, which surprised Treasure, if slightly. Treasure had found that she herself had had more than a handful of awkward moments when around Sirius and Peter at the same time. James seemed to have forgiven the little rat - who, by the way, was sitting three seats to Treasure's left, scuffing his feet anxiously and peering at his neighbor's papers. When he noticed Treasure watching him, he offered her a hopeful grin, which she thoroughly ignored. The memory of being forced to worship the little louse still galled.

Finally, Treasure noticed Snape, his nose an inch from his paper. She wondered how he could see his words that close up, her eyes would have been crossing by then. Her dislike for Snape had grown since hearing of James and Sirius rendezvous in Snape's cousin's shop. Priding herself on not being immature and taking her jealously out by mailing a Howler to Kathrynn - _that wench_, as Laurel called her, Laurel _had_ mailed an anonymous Howler, even though Remus had not even been at Kathrynn's shop; "I do it for you own dignity, Tres," Laurel told her - instead, she increased her dislike for Kathrynn's cousin. Because, if Snape hadn't been at Hogwarts, there would no reason for Kathrynn to be in Hogsmeade, where Sirius could happen upon her and her bloody nightgown. Treasure was impressed with her own logic. Lily had merely rolled her eyes, but she tensed every time someone mentioned Kathrynn's name, and shot very nasty looks at James if he was he who mentioned it.

"**Quills down, please!**" Professor Flitwick said shrilly from the front of the room. "**That means you, too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio_!**" Hundreds of pieces of parchment - literally all of the fifth-years that Hogwarts contained - hurled through the air and knocked poor tiny Professor Flitwick over. Treasure specifically heard Sirius laughing, but not maliciously. She smiled as Lily got up hurriedly along with a few other students to help up the Professor, invisible under all the test papers.

"**Thank you…thank you,**" Professor Flitwick was red in the face, though from exertion or embarrassment it was hard to tell. "**Very well, everybody, you're free to go!**" Treasure hurried over to Laurel, who was at the front of the room, pulling at Lily, who wanted to go over her exam and calculate her score. James was stuffing something in his bag hastily as he joined them, earning himself another disapproving glare from Lily, who marched out with her nose in the air. She was considerably cooler towards James since the anti-love potion endeavor, which did not make any sense to Treasure at all. James had helped get the love spell _lifted_. For an intelligent person, Lily was incredibly thick sometimes. Smiling apologetically at James and kissing Sirius quickly on the cheek, she hurried after Lily.

"I hope you didn't get any of the black rubbish on my face, Belle," she heard Sirius call, and she made a face at him over her shoulder.

"Lily, you really should be nicer to James," Laurel was saying, walking regretfully away from Remus. Treasure grinned. "Yeah, if it wasn't for him, you'd still be trying to find a way into Peter's bed," she added. Lily grimaced, but out of the three of them, Lily had been the one to forgive Peter most readily. "If James - I _loathe_ that boy - and Sirius weren't so pompous all the time, Peter would not have felt like he had to do something to drastic to get our attention -"

"Lils, he _forced_ us to pay attention to him. To _love_ him. That's not drastic…that's…that's -" Treasure sputtered, at a loss for words. She did see Lily's point - not that she thought Sirius was very pompous, in fact, she was attracted to his arrogance. To a point. It made her laugh.

"It's evil is what it is," Laurel muttered, pointing her wand at Treasure's mouth and muttering "_Scourgio_," very quietly. Treasure felt soap suds on her lips and kept her mouth very wisely closed, wiping her face with her hand as the suds stopped moving. "Fanks," she said, spitting out whatever soap might have gotten into her mouth. Laurel grinned, "I can't have you walking around like the bloody banshee, can I?" she quipped, flinging her own perfect hair over her shoulder, one eye green and one silver in her indecision between condescension and teasing.

"Yes, oh immaculate one," Treasure snapped back, mockingly indignant. Lily had led them to the lake, pulling off her shoes and stockings and sticking her legs in the water. Treasure, having given up on stocking long ago, pulled off her own narrow-heeled pumps and immersed her own feet in the cool water, wary of the giant squid. She smoothed her skirt idly, it was shorter than most of her others, and shrugged out of her robes. She even went so far as to unbutton her white shirt to the third button, but stopped when Lily glared at her.

"Your clothes are really too revealing, Treasure," Lily said, as Treasure leaned back on her elbows. Lily's own skirt was proper length, three inches above the knee, and though she had removed her robes and maroon-and-gold striped tie, her shirt remained buttoned up to the very first button. Laurel was in a state similar to Treasure's, her skirt a bit longer but her white shirt tied up to expose a few inches of flat, ivory midriff. She had her yellow-and-black tie knotted around her head, keeping her hair out of her eyes. Treasure was surprised to see that on the part-veela, it didn't look ridiculous at all. Treasure frowned, laying back on the ground and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Honestly, Tres, at least wear a white bra-" Lily was saying, when Treasure sat up huffily. "Lils, we're gone in less than a week. I think I can stray from dress code," she said, holding her wand up to her face, sending cool shoots of air over her neck and chest. "You've been straying from dress code since September first, Tres. Maybe Professor McGonagall is right…"

Treasure's attention was elsewhere, though, as Sirius, James, and Remus walked around the grounds to sit under the beech tree where she and Sirius had shared many a sunset. James was playing with a Snitch, and Sirius had a rather disdainful looked aimed at Peter, who was watching James almost reverently. Sirius's hair was falling into his eyes, which Treasure knew would be a dark, stormy gray. He looked a bit bored, but smirked when he saw her looking at him from across the grounds. She smirked back and tossed her hair, turning back to a laughing Lily and Laurel.

Remus was reading, which Laurel seemed to find amusing and exasperating at the same time. "Maybe I should go over there and get his nose out of the bloody book," she said, with a smile. Lily sighed, "Oh, leave him be, Laurel. Besides, I'd rather stay away from James Potter for once," she sniffed.

"I wonder what your boyfriend thought of question ten, Laurel," Treasure said idly, arranging her skirt so it rested a bit higher on her legs. She could practically feel Sirius staring at her, and jumped when Lily tugged her skirt down patronizingly. "_Honestly_," Lily muttered, sending a scorching glare in the direction of the beech tree. Laurel grinned, casting a glance over towards the boys and pouting when she realized that Remus was still engrossed in his book. She positioned herself so she was in his direct line of sight, and hitched her shirt up a bit more, showing more of her flat stomach. That got some stares - glares, from other Hogwarts girls - but not even a flicker of an eyelid from Remus. Treasure wondered just what book he might be reading. Laurel scowled, hitching her shirt back down and staring daggers and any boy who had dared to look.

"Aww, look, Lils, James keeps rumpling his hair just for you," Laurel teased, brushing imaginary lint off the front of her shirt and sending a glance in Remus's direction. "You're another one who should invest in a white bra, Laurel," Lily sniffed, and Treasure laughed when Laurel's jaw dropped open.

"We have Transfiguration tomorrow," Lily said, changing the subject. Transfiguration, which would have been a hellish ordeal to keep Treasure up at night if it had not been for the rigorous study schedule that Lily had written out for herself and for Treasure, and anyone else who wanted - or, in Laurel's case, had been forced to accept - was not something that was bothering her currently, and she said so. Also, with the lessons from James, tips from Remus, and private sessions from Sirius - which were a good deal more enjoyable than the other two, for obvious reasons, if not always as productive - on becoming Animagi, Treasure was feeling optimistic about her Transfiguration grades for once. She had faltered a bit on the written practice tests, but the physical exam would go without a hitch. She had been able to turn her table into a pony and back again, and except for the horse-hair tablecloth, it was perfect, which was even more than she herself had expected. If she could do that tomorrow, she would be fine.

"I'm glad you're so confident," Laurel said, also laying back on her elbows and stubbornly keeping her eyes straight ahead. Treasure saw Remus hand Sirius the book his was reading, and watched as Sirius snorted derisively. Treasure frowned, she didn't like it when Sirius acted the ass in front of his friends, especially Remus, who had been the Marauder Treasure had liked best before dating Sirius. Now, for obvious reasons, that was changed. Treasure grinned to herself.

"Oh, no. What is that idiot doing?" Lily asked, sitting up and pulling her stockings and shoes on slowly. She was watching with narrowed eyes as James and Sirius stood up, watching Snape walk across the grass the way wolves might watch a wounded deer.

"**All right, Snivellus?**" James's voice carried to where the girls were sitting. Lily tensed, and Treasure pulled her shoes over to her, putting them on slowly. She bundled up her robes in her arms and watched the scene with interest. Laurel watched with casual intrigue, one delicate eyebrow raised. She could sometimes be as haughty as Sirius when she wanted to be; she hadn't moved from her position stretched out languidly on the grass. She also made no move to grab her shoes.

Treasure blinked as Snape reacted in a flurry of movement, his hand plunging into his robes at the same moment as he dropped his bag. "**_Expelliarmus!_**" James cried, and Lily was on her feet in an instant. Snape's wand flew into the air and landed a good few paces away; Sirius's bark-like laugh was heard around the grounds. "**_Impedimenta!_**" he said, pointing his wand lazily at Snape. Snape froze in the air freakishly and slowly began to descend.

Treasure picked herself up slowly, pulling her own wand out and holding it idly between to fingers. Scuffles like this were common between James and Snape, their animosity was not unknown, and it had been that way since first year. "Relax, Lils," Treasure said lazily, sticking her wand behind her ear. Lily's fists were clenched in anger. "Severus didn't even do anything! Oh, James Potter makes me so _mad!_" she spat.

"Lily, you know they get like this at least four times a week. Leave them be, boys will be boys," Laurel said, bored, she had consented to sit up but not much more than that. She was eyeing Remus, who seemed to be lost in the book he was reading. Laurel had a fond smile on her lips. "Except, some boys will be mature," she added. Then she narrowed her eyes, fading to cool silver. "Almost frustratingly so."

James glanced over at Lily as he and Sirius stalked over to Snape with their wands raised. Treasure raised an eyebrow, "A bit stupid, though. Snape doesn't even have a wand, and they're acting like he's fully armed," she mused. Lily was shaking with anger now, she began walking over slowly. Menacingly, Treasure thought. If James was smart, he'd stop while he was ahead. And he wasn't ahead by much. Treasure sighed, exasperatedly. "Sirius, you stupid idiot, this was your idea," she murmured. Laurel stood up, holding her shoes in one hand and her robes in another, walked to with Treasure, following Lily.

"…**There'll be grease marks all over it, they wont be able to read a word,**" Sirius was saying. Treasure's lips twitched as he shot her a look, a smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes, hoping she was pulling off disdain enough to satisfy Lily, who looked about to rampage.

"**You -- wait. You -- wait…**" Snape was panting. Laurel made a disgusted noise in her throat. "Your boyfriend isn't very heroic, Tres," she said, more successful with her disdain. Treasure shrugged, she liked Remus too much to point out that he was still sitting underneath the tree, reading. Although, his eyes were very still for someone who was reading, and he was frowning deeply.

"**Wait for what?**" Sirius asked coolly, "**What are you going to do, Snivellus, wipe your nose on us?**"

"Sirius," Treasure said gently, her eyes flickering slightly as Snape let out a long train of cusses and hexes, all completely ineffectual. Sirius met Treasure's amber-eyed gaze and shifted his shoulders, lowering his want slightly. Very slightly. Treasure huffed a sigh.

"**Wash out your mouth! _Scourgify!_" **James snapped, and pink bubbles erupted from Snape's mouth, making him gag and sputter. Treasure winced, touching her lips faintly and recalling how uncomfortable it was to have Laurel use even a miniscule version of the spell on her earlier. "Sirius!" Treasure said loudly, but before she had time to tell him to stop acting like an idiot, Lily intervened, pushing her way from between Laurel and Treasure.

"**Leave him ALONE!**" She shouted, not flickering an eyelid when James's hand leapt to his hair to ruffle it. "**All right, Evans?**" James asked, his voice dropping deeper, as if he hadn't just made a fellow student's mouth erupt in bubbles, as if that wasn't immature at all. Treasure and Laurel snorted, and Sirius snickered slightly.

"**Leave him alone. What's he done to you?**" Treasure was surprised that James wasn't running desperately in the other direction by the way Lily was looking at him. As if he was a slug and she was fresh out of Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent, so she would settle for salt. Dead Sea salt, cursed by a sea sorceress.

"**Well, it's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean…**" James said slyly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sirius laughed, looking at Treasure almost defiantly. So did Peter and the students who had gathered to watch. Laurel grimaced, Lily glared deeper, and Remus frowned even harder at his book, shooting wary glances at Laurel every now and then. Treasure sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose wearily. She should have known that something like this would happen, what, with the long months of relative peace from the Slytherin side as well as the Gryffindor. Now that O.W.L.s were as good as over, of course this rivalry - hostility, warfare, more like - would start all over.

"**You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_**." Lily's face had gone from red with righteous anger to a deadly white, and Treasure was worried that she might just kill James.

"**I will if you go out with me, Evans.**" James said, obviously not aware how close to death he really was. "**Go on…Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.**" Oh yeah. Absolutely no clue how near his doom was. Treasure laughed, and James favored her with a rather hurt look. She coughed hastily into her hand, dislodging her own wand from behind her ear.

"**I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,**"Lily snapped.

"**Bad luck, Prongs.**"Sirius turned back to Snape, his tone brisk. "**OY**!"

In a flash of white light, James was suddenly bleeding, his robes stained. He whirled around and in another blaze, leaving spots dancing before Treasure's eyes, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air. Treasure averted her eyes from where Snape's thin, pale legs and graying underpants were showing. His robes had gotten tangled above his head, and Snape was thrashing desperately.

Laurel's eyes were wide with shock, Lily's with fury, though tightly reined, as if she had struggled not to laugh. Impossible, of course. Treasure wanted desperately to laugh - it was quite funny - but remembered when her own skirt had gone flying up on a spell cast by a non-sensible Lily. Suddenly it wasn't quite so funny anymore. She grimaced, and Sirius looked at her questioningly.

"**Let him down!**"Lily cried shrilly.

"**Certainly**," James replied, and he jerked his wand upwards. Snape fell unceremoniously to the ground and sprang to his feet, his wand at ready. "**_Locomotor mortis_**!" Sirius said, and Snape keeled over again, as rigid as Treasure had been when Sirius performed the same spell on her. "Sirius Black, you idiot!"

She hurried over to her boyfriend, pulling his arm down angrily. "That's enough, Sirius!" she said, trying for once to shrug him off when he put an arm around her shoulders. She smacked at him half-heartedly, nudging him in the side to get him to lift the spell, but he ignored her except to press a kiss to her lips. The watchers cheered as they had for when James hauled Snape into the air.

"Jerk," Treasure accused, grinning at Sirius as she felt her face get hot.

"**LEAVE HIM ALONE!**"Lily shouted, pulling out her own wand. Treasure held her wand up as well, pointing it over Sirius's heart with a bit of a smirk as some of the girls in the crowd hooted gleefully, fully intending to support her best friend. Laurel had made her way over to Remus, not getting involved if he wasn't.

"**Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you…**"James warned. Treasure snorted, and Lily tossed her hair.

"**Take the curse off him, then!**"she demanded.

James sighed, as if denied a royal treat. "**There you go,**"he said, waving his wand and muttering the counter curse. Treasure elbow Sirius roughly in the ribs when he tried to pull her closer, stalking over to where Lily was if a tad reluctantly. Several of the boys in the crowd snickered.

"**You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus -**"

"**I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!**"Treasure whirled around at Snape's voice and held her wand up high, ready to call down the worst curse she could muster at him. "_Don't give me more a reason to feed you to the squid, Snape _-!" she screeched, but Lily put a hand on her arm.

"**Fine**," Lily said composedly, "**I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_.**" 

"**Apologize to Evans!**"James bellowed at Snape, pointing his wand in very much the same fashion as Treasure had. "**I don't want _you_ to make him apologize**," Lily shouted, her face reddening indignantly. "**You're just as bad as he is…**"

"Lils," Treasure admonished quietly.

"**What**?" James yelped. "**I'd NEVER call you a - a you-know-what**!"

Lily smirked. "**Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can - I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK.**"

Treasure bit her lip to keep from laughing as she walked away with Lily, James shouting behind them. Thank goodness the year was almost over, Lily definitely needed some time to cool off. She'd never admit just how much James Potter got under her skin.


	24. On The Hogwarts Express, part II

Title: The Young Order

Rating: Probably PG, perhaps PG-13, who knows? Some where in-between there, at most PG-13 just to be safe. God knows what this mindless authoress would write...x

Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing of J.K. Rowling's, and nothing in the HP universe. If I did, do you think would have died?!?! OF COURSE NOT!

Summary: On the Hogwarts express, going home after 5th year is up.

A/N: The last chapter.

1

"James didn't _actually_ take Snape's pants off, did he?" Treasure asked with wide eyes, watching as Laurel calmly inspected her fingernails. "Of course not, not even James would be so cruel," Lily snapped, looking as if she has her doubts. Treasure raised her eyebrows and turned her attention back to Laurel.

"Well, did he?"

Laurel looked up with a rather complacent grin on her face. Of the three of them, Laurel was the one to stay behind while Lily stormed off to the girls' dorm. Lily, sick of the very sight of James Potter, had decided that she was going to do some hasty and rather messy packing. The girls were in the dorm once more, sitting on Treasure's bed, which had been stripped of her bed sheets. The entire room was left bare, with Lily and Treasure's trunks leaning neatly against a wall by the door. "Well, he was about too. Sirius was all for it, you know. I think he enjoys humiliating Snape a little too much, if you ask me."

"LAUREL!"

"But Remus stopped him. Stopped James, rather. Said, very quietly - you know Remus doesn't like interfering when James and Sirius are off making life hell for someone - that it had gone far enough."

"And?"

"Sirius took Snape's wand and went to the Owlery to send it back to him, and they walked away." Laurel finished her report and began to braid her hair back delicately. Treasure sat staring.

"Poor Severus," Lily said rather grudgingly. It stung, being called a Mudblood, but her frustration with James Potter had her almost siding with Snape. Almost.

"They take it too far," Treasure agreed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the door as if Sirius was waiting behind it. Laurel shrugged. "Remember the time Snape Vanished Sirius's pants in the middle of the play off game last year?" she asked. Treasure laughed, "Yeah, and it was raining! Or the time he turned James's hair purple in the middle of Care of Magical Creatures? And the griffin went after him, because they hate that color!"

"James told me he still has the scars…"

"Well I can't say he doesn't deserve it, the massive _prick_ that he is," Lily grumbled. Laurel and Treasure ignored her. "Hey, Tres…did you happen to get a picture of when Sirius was flying around in his sodding wet knickers?" Laurel asked slyly. Treasure turned a light shade of pink. "No, of course not!" she said, scandalized. Laurel cackled nastily, but still managing to maintain her veela charm. Treasure frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, I just happen to have a full, in color snapshot of that _lovely_ moment in Hogwarts history. And, in two years, if I happen to make it onto the yearbook staff, you can rest assured that it'll be in it, if not on the front page -"

"Laurel that's terrible!" Treasure shrieked, shoving her friend over. Laurel said nothing, but hid behind her silver blonde hair, her eyes flashing from green to silver almost fiendishly. "Three…two…" she muttered under her breath.

"Oh, all right, give it here then!" Treasure burst out. Lily fell back on the bed laughing, and Laurel joined in, reaching into her robes and pulling out the photo. "There you go, Tres…as if you haven't seen him wearing less in real life -"

"You're bloody right I haven't!" Treasure bellowed, snatching the picture. Scrutinizing it for a moment, she too fell over on the bed laughing. "D'you see the look on his face? Between mortified and enraged - no wonder he was so eager to make a fool of Snape this year!" she howled. Lily and Laurel exchanged rather secretive looks.

"You find the sight of your boyfriend in his undergarments a joke?" Lily asked airily. Treasure blushed again. "Well, look at him. How scrawny his legs were last year - he filled out quite nicely, I'll have you know -" She broke off coughing.

"Aha! You haven't been a little skank with him, haven't you, Tres?" Laurel asked, grinning crookedly but look as if she desperately wanted an answer. Lily looked very serious all of a sudden. Treasure frowned. "No. We went swimming a few weeks ago is all," she answered.

"Where?!" Laurel demanded. Treasure rolled her eyes. "Where else is there to go swimming around her, Laurel?" she snapped. "You went in the lake? It's bloody freezing in there, Tres, all year round. Not to mention the giant squid…"

"That's what made it fun. According to Sirius, anyway. He seems to find life-threatening situations amusing," Treasure said dryly. "And so do you. You'll probably get married some day…" Laurel retorted. Treasure shrugged. "Wouldn't be so bad. He looks great without a shirt, you know -"

Laurel yelped and smacked Treasure with a pillow.

"Actually," Lily said loudly over the pillow war that had begun to take place. "The giant squid is a vegetarian. It feeds algae and other underwater plants -" Treasure and Laurel turned to stare at each Lily, each with a pillow in her hands. "It's never attacked a student before," Lily went on. "What? What are you staring at me for - I read about it in _Hogwarts, a History_."

"Lils, it's the very last day of school," Treasure said exasperatedly. Laurel just attacked her with a pillow.

"How _did _you get a picture of Sirius last year, anyway?" Treasure asked later, as they were sitting on the bed and Summoning the feathers from around the room. Laurel laughed. "Well, last year I had this enormous crush on Sirius…"

"Really?" Treasure said guardedly. Laurel laughed again. "No. But my friend Angelynn did, and I just happened to be carting my camera around. I was taking pictures for the _Hogwarts Medium. _Unfortunately, they didn't let it accompany the article about Gryffindor's spanking triumph over Slytherin."

1.

"The year went by so fast," Treasure said calmly, chewing contently on a Cauldron Cake. Sirius was sitting beside her on the Hogwarts Express, his head on her shoulder as he slept. Treasure glanced at him and smiled to herself, glaring at she met Lily's eyes and Laurel's smirk. Laurel sat on the floor of the car and was playing a game of wizards chess with Remus, and Lily and James sat watching. James kept trying to engage Lily in conversation, but it was clear that Lily was anything but interested. Peter sat off to the side, alternating between watching the game of wizard's chess and fiddling with James's Snitch. Since Peter's whole episode with the love potions, none of the girls had been over eager to speak to him. Remus and Sirius hadn't been particularly forthcoming either.

"Merlin's beard, I'm glad its over. All that studying for the O.W.L.s drove me insane…" Laurel said, looking up from the board and not noticing how Remus's eyes followed whatever move she made. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled brightly at him, making it clear that perhaps she did notice how he still couldn't take his eyes off of her, even after the months that they'd been dating. Treasure snorted and glanced at Sirius again, shrugging his head off her shoulder.

"What's the idea, Tres?" he asked blearily. She brushed off her should. "You were drooling on me," she said disdainfully. "Like the dog he is, Tres," James said, shooting a grin at her. Sirius scowled, "Witty, Prongs, real witty," he snapped, and turned to Treasure to kiss her on the lips. Lily rolled her eyes and immersed herself behind the book of _Charms_ that Treasure had given her for Christmas.

"We're nearly there," she said loudly from behind her book a few moments later. "It would be wise if you unstuck yourself from his face, Treasure," she said, snapping her book closed. Treasure pulled away with a grin on her face. "Sorry Lils, forgot how very chaste you are," she teased.

"Well, maybe if you stopped acting like bloody _Morgan le Fay _for a minute, you'd realize that your parents are standing right outside our car and waiting for you to get off the train," Lily said tartly. Laurel doubled over laughing as she finished putting away the chess board; Remus was unloading their trunks and James had already gotten off the train and was standing by Lily's parents, probably hoping to look inconspicuous as he waited to say good-bye to her. Treasure groaned under her breath and waited for the berating her father would give her about how it wasn't proper to be with a boy, and how she was far too young to be in a relationship as she descended the stairs to the platform.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," she said cautiously, kissing her parents on the cheek. Sirius came up behind her, rubbing his neck anxiously. She smiled reassuringly at him. "Hi, sweetie. We missed you so much all year - the house just isn't the same without," Treasure's mother, Dana, said, elbowing her husband in the ribs pointedly. She smiled at her daughter. Treasure smiled back awkwardly. "Daddy, I'd like you to meet Sirius. He's my boyfriend -"

"I should hope so, young lady, with the way you were all over him just now." Sirius winced and Treasure glared, crossing her arms over her chest. "_Dad_!"

"Behave, Louis," Mrs. Belle said sternly, rolling her eyes at her husband. Sirius extended his hand and cleared his throat awkward. "Its and honor to meet you, Mr. Belle, Mrs. Belle." Mrs. Belle raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Why, Treasure, he's _such_ a gentleman!" she beamed, raising her eyebrows at her husband. Mr. Belle cleared his throat roughly and said nothing. Clearly, he was not pleased.

"Where are your parents, dear?" Mrs. Belle asked. "Oh, they're probably with my brother -" he answered. Mr. Belle frowned. "They you should probably be going to meet them, eh? Let's go, Treasure, you know how crowded the Public Floo Network gets this time of year, and we've got to go cross continent…" Treasure sighed. "Fine, give me a minute, Dad," she said sourly, turning to Sirius and smiling a thank you as her mother led her father away.

"Sorry about that," she said awkwardly, glancing up at Sirius. He shrugged. "You're dad looked like he was about to bloody jinx me," he said. Treasure grinned. "Overprotective. Don't worry about it. He still hasn't gotten used to the fact that I'm all grown up," she said, putting her arms around his neck. Sirius placed his hands on her hips cautiously, looking over her should to see if her father was anywhere in sight. Treasure rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and kiss me before I have to leave," she said, and he did.

"Write me?" she asked, following his gaze as he stared at a couple dressed in expensive black robes lined with what looked like hippogriff fur, and a younger boy who looked suspiciously like a younger Sirius. His Hogwarts tie was green and silver, a Slytherin. "Yeah…of course," he said vaguely. She sighed. "Are those your folks?" she asked, startled as he pulled her closer.

"Yeah, and my slimy git of a brother, Regulus," he said nastily. Treasure shrugged. "Well, they don't look too bad. Except for the whole vampy-wearing-hippogriff thing…"

"They're terrible," he said lowly, as if he didn't want her to hear. She sighed and touched his cheek gently. "I better go," she said, a bit sad and very reluctant. Over her shoulder she could see Remus and Laurel making the very same goodbye, as Laurel's mother looked on rather disdainfully. Evidently she didn't approve of Remus's peaky pale skin and frayed robes. Laurel's mother was even taller than Laurel and clothed in glistening pale blue robes and carrying a dragon scale handbag. Laurel kissed Remus rather obviously on the mouth and sashayed away, glaring up at her mother as their team of house-elves carted away Laurel's trunk.

"See you next year," Sirius said, smiling suddenly and kissing her again. Treasure grinned back up at him. "Maybe I'll convince my parents to let me stay with Lily a bit earlier. I'll come visit. Don't find some pretty succubus over the summer, alright?" she said, turning away and walking back to where her parents and Lily's were already making arrangements for over the summer.

"Bye Lily, bye Treasure!" Laurel hollered as she walked by with her mother. "See you next year!" the girls called back, waving. "You know what, Lils?" Treasure asked, putting an arm around her best friend. "What?"

"I've got a _ton_ of homework…"

1.

A/N: There you have it, my friends. I wrote this for Laura, because she asked me to as a b-day present…and its 4 days late but hey, it's the thought that counts, right? There you go, Lunabeam! The Young Order is officially FINISHED! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Lovies,

Crystyna


End file.
